At the International Religious Freedom Summit, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) called on U.S. leadership to take decisive action against Azerbaijan for crimes committed against Armenia and Artsakh. The appeal was made during discussions on religious persecution and human rights violations in conflict zones, as reported by the Central Office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s "Hai Dat" Bureau.

Participants at the summit emphasized the urgent need to restore Artsakh, ensure Armenia’s security, and protect Armenian communities worldwide, from Syria and Lebanon to the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem. They stressed that the United States must take concrete steps to defend religious freedom and prevent further aggression from Azerbaijan, which continues to undermine regional stability.

During the summit, Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of ANCA, urged the U.S. to immediately halt military aid to Azerbaijan and impose Magnitsky Act sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. He also called for a United Nations Security Council resolution that would guarantee the safe and dignified return of Armenians to Artsakh.

"Good policy starts with moral clarity. The U.S. must take concrete action, not just issue statements of concern," Hamparian emphasized, warning that continued inaction would only embolden authoritarian regimes worldwide.

Congressman Chris Smith strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s systematic destruction of Armenian religious and cultural sites, calling on the U.S. government to take decisive measures. He warned that Baku’s occupation of Armenian sovereign territory could be a prelude to even greater aggression.

"The destruction of cultural landmarks must be stopped. Azerbaijani forces are occupying 75 miles of Armenian land—this could be the beginning of something even more dangerous," Smith stated.

He also urged the State Department to designate Azerbaijan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its persecution of Armenian Christians, highlighting the urgent need for international attention to the issue.

Religious leaders also raised concerns over Azerbaijan’s continued erasure of Armenian heritage in the region. Archimandrite Garegin Hambardzumyan called for the urgent deployment of international monitoring groups to Artsakh, arguing that independent documentation of the destruction of religious sites is crucial. He also stressed the importance of securing the right of displaced Armenians to return under international supervision.

The broader regional implications of Azerbaijani aggression were also discussed. Human rights advocate Kristine Arakelyan noted that stabilizing Christian communities in the Middle East would contribute significantly to broader U.S. peace efforts in the Caucasus and the Palestinian issue. She emphasized that the security of these communities is closely linked to efforts for long-term regional stability.

One of the key objectives of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the U.S. was his participation in the 5th Annual International Religious Freedom Summit. However, while addressing the forum, Pashinyan chose to focus on Armenia’s domestic religious tolerance rather than raising concerns over Azerbaijan’s ongoing destruction of Armenian cultural and spiritual heritage in occupied Artsakh. His omission of this critical issue did not go unnoticed among the summit’s participants.