“The insistence on continuing the war, despite the calls of the international community, demand universal condemnation. Those who have chosen to play the role of ‘bullies’ of the international system must receive a decisive answer to their actions.” Those were the words the General Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO) and MP of the Hellenic Parliament, Maximos Charakopoulos, replying to the thank-you letter sent by the Armenian National Committee of Greece after leaving the Parliamentary Group of Greek–Azerbaijani Friendship.
In his reply letter to the President of the Armenian National Committee of Greece, Hripsime Haroutounian, and the Secretary, Ovik Baboglian, Maximos Charakopoulos underlines that “leaving the Parliamentary Friendship Group of Greece-Azerbaijan has been a self-evident act of condemnation of Azerbaijan’s ongoing attack in Nagorno-Karabakh with the full and overt support of Turkey.
Unfortunately, hostilities have claimed the lives of hundreds of people so far, many of them were civilians. In addition to the infrastructure, the relentless bombings also hit religious monuments, such as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Shusha.
I hope that logic will soon prevail, that military operations will cease and the path to peace and prosperity will be found. I also wish you much success in the great work you carry out to strengthen the relations between Greeks and Armenians, two peoples who have been subjected to genocide by the same perpetrator, Turkey, in the 20th century.”
It is worth noting that the Armenian National Committee of Greece thanked Maximos Charakopoulos, emphasizing that his stance demonstrates “not only your support for the Armenian people but also your commitment to universal values such as freedom, justice and the right of peoples to peace and self-determination.”