WASHINGTON, DC – Members of the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Kharabakh – Erich Vontobel (Federal Democratic Union) and Lukas Reimann (Swiss People’s Party ) – alongside Dr. John Eibner of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, held a second full day of Washington, DC meetings, on July 9th, with Vice President Vance’s national security team, the office of the Speaker of the U.S. House, and key Senate offices, to discuss international efforts to realize the right of return for the ethnically-cleansed Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
These meetings followed a full day meeting with U.S. House offices, culminating in a standing-room-only Capitol Hill briefing for over 200 Congressional offices and dozens of policymakers and foreign policy stakeholders. The visiting delegation held high-level meetings at the U.S. Department of State and was received by Switzerland’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Ralf Heckner.
Former Armenia Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian addressing a capacity crowd at the July 8th Capitol Hill Briefing on the Swiss Peace Initiative on Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh has commissioned former Minister Oskanian to serve as coordinator of the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Main Photo Caption: Swiss-led Delegation advocating for the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh, seen here between meetings at the US Capitol (from l to r): Vartan Oskanian, former Foreign Minister of Armenia; Swiss MPs Lucas Reimann (Swiss People’s Party) and Erich Vontobel (Democratic Federal Union); S. Biedermann, Executive Director of CSI; and Dr. John Eibner, International President of CSI.
