His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia has appealed to President Donald Trump to urge Azerbaijan to release Armenian captives being held in Baku.
“I would like to draw your kind attention to an issue which continues to cause deep sorrow and concern to all Armenians around the world. Dozens of Armenian hostages have been illegally held in Baku, Azerbaijan for more than a year. The de facto closed-door trials of 16 of these, former presidents, prime ministers and political leaders of Artsakh, began on January 17, 2025, without international observers or even minimal due juridical process,” the Catholicos explained to Trump
“Mr. President, the Armenian people will highly appreciate, if you appeal to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, to release immediately and unconditionally these prisoners, in accord with Azerbaijan’s own obligations under international law,” Aram I said in his letter.
“Such a move will significantly advance the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, help foster good will and a constructive environment conducive to the return Armenians to Artsakh, promote mutual understanding across the region, and provide a concrete expression of your peace-making mission,” added the Catholicos.
The letter, dated February 6, was a congratulatory note to Trump on his inauguration, which the Catholicos said he followed and made reference to some of the points Trump made in his inauguration speech.
The Catholicos also referenced statements made by Trump and his campaign regarding the forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians.
“In your pre-electoral statement, you have rightfully condemned Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabagh) Armenian Christians, emphasized the right of indigenous Armenians to return to their Artsakh homeland, and called for the restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the Catholicos said. “Upon your election, the world looks to you to act upon these commitments, affirming your role as global peace-maker.”
In the last days of his campaign, Trump telephoned Aram I and voiced his support for the Artsakh issue and the establishment of peace in the region
In a statement announcing the call in November, the Catholicosate outlined several points made by Aram I during the phone call.
“It is imperative for the new government of the United States to express full support to the just demands of the Armenians of Artsakh to return to their historical lands and to reassert their right to self-determination, while demanding accountability for the genocide committed against the Armenians of Artsakh,” the Catholicos told Trump during the telephone conversation in November.
Prior to the phone call with Aram I in November, the Trump campaign issued a statement accusing his opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, of inaction in the face of the persecution and forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian Christians and pledged to “stop the violence and ethnic cleansing and […] restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
“Kamala Harris did NOTHING as 120,000 Armenian Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh. Christians around the World will not be safe if Kamala Harris is President of the United States. When I am President, I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account on October 23.
Throughout his tenure as a spiritual leader, Aram I has been an outspoken advocate for Armenian rights, regularly addressing the international community on the ongoing threats posed by Azerbaijan’s aggression. Aram I’s direct appeal builds on his history of engagement with U.S. leaders on issues of religious freedom and human rights.
During President Trump’s first term, the Catholicos played a key role in advocating for Christian communities under threat in the Middle East and South Caucasus. In 2017, he met with senior Trump administration officials to discuss the plight of Armenians, Syriacs, and other persecuted Christian minorities. His efforts helped draw attention to the need for U.S. humanitarian assistance to communities affected by war and displacement.
Despite international outcry, Azerbaijan has faced no meaningful accountability for its war crimes. Human rights organizations, including Freedom House, have documented Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, targeted destruction of Armenian cultural heritage, systematic abuse of prisoners, and its occupation of sovereign Armenian territory. Azerbaijani authorities have subjected Armenian prisoners to torture, degrading treatment, and politically motivated trials. The prisoners, held incommunicado and denied legal protections, face charges designed to legitimize Baku’s ethnic cleansing and erase any remaining Armenian presence in Artsakh.
The Armenian National Committee of America has echoed Catholicos Aram I’s call for urgent U.S. action, urging President Trump to use all diplomatic and economic tools available, including enforcement of foreign aid bans and targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, to hold Azerbaijan accountable and secure the release of Armenian political prisoners.
