Swiss MPs met with Artsakh leadership

ArmInfo.Members of the Swiss National Council, Erich Vontobel and Stefan Muller Altemath, and John Eibner, President of the human rights organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI), visited the building of the Permanent Representation of Artsakh to the Republic of Armenia. The delegation  was accompanied by representatives of the same organization, Joel Veldkamp and Peter Fuchs.

According to the Artsakh Information Bureau press service, the  meeting was attended from the Artsakh side by Acting President of the  Republic of Armenia and Speaker of the National Assembly, Ashot  Danielyan; Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gagik Baghunts;  heads of the National Assembly factions; the Human Rights Defender;  and a representative of the Committee for the Protection of the  Rights of the People of Artsakh. At the beginning of the meeting,  Ashot Danielyan awarded Erich Fontobell the "Gratitude" medal of the  Republic of Artsakh and presented certificates of appreciation to  Stefan Muller Altemath and John Eibner.

Ashot Danielyan then presented the political direction of efforts to  restore the rights of the people of Artsakh and touched upon the  general socio-psychological situation of the population.

Erich Vontobell and Stefan Muller Altemath presented the  implementation of the resolution "Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Forum:  Enabling the Return of Armenians," adopted by both chambers of  parliament in Switzerland in 2025, and the work being carried out in  this regard.

The participants exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and planned  steps for the implementation of future programs.  

It should be noted that at a short press conference on February 3, Eric Fontebelle emphasized that "the Artsakh issue is not closed and should not be closed," as human rights and the right to self-determination have no statute of limitations.

As a reminder, on December 17, 2024, the lower house of the Swiss parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Swiss government to organize an international peace forum to ensure the rights of Artsakh residents to return to Nagorno-Karabakh. On March 18, 2025, the upper house of the Swiss Federal Assembly adopted a bill on Nagorno-Karabakh. The document calls on the Swiss authorities to create a platform for dialogue between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan to discuss mechanisms for the return of persons forcibly displaced from Karabakh. On May 26, 2025, an inter-party commission to promote the right of return of Armenians of Artsakh began its work in Switzerland.