Armenia Awareness Campaign
Scope of Work
August 2, 2024
Summary:
Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC), a U.S. 501 (c)3 nonprofit, has been invited by The Nazarene Fund (TNF), a U.S. 501 (c)3, to collaborate with Save Armenia(SA.us), also a U.S. 501 (c)3, on an American civil society-led, bipartisan awareness and advocacy campaign to bring attention to the genocidal acts of Azerbaijan which led to the September 19 occupation of Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, by Azerbaijan leading to the mass migration of Artsakh citizens into Armenia proper.
Continued public statements by Azerbaijan officials and incursions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border lead world experts to surmise that it is Azerbaijan’s genocidal intent to expand its occupation into Armenia. [See here, and here.]
Adding to the complexity, China also wants to build a Belt and Road Initiative land corridor, the “Middle Corridor,” through the region to connect with Turkey and the Caspian Sea, based on the ancient Silk Road. Toward this end, China has heavily funded BRI projects in Azerbaijan.
The awareness and advocacy campaign to be funded by TNF and coordinated by STPC and SA.us will include hosting delegations of Armenian witnesses and experts in the United States to share their reports and experiences with the U.S. Congress and other relevant U.S. agencies, institutions, and commissions, as well as the American public, through media and in-person meetings and events.
STPC’s efforts regarding the awareness and advocacy campaign will be funded by TNF. No part of the campaign will be funded by the foreign government of Armenia, and any Armenian officials taking part will be responsible for their own travel and lodging.
The campaign may include boycott initiatives and calls for the U.S. State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom to designate Azerbaijan as a Country of Particular Concern which would allow for sanctions to be placed on the country and its officials.
This campaign aligns with previous endeavors initiated and completed by STPC, such as the very successful and highly impactful June 2019 Nigerian delegation of witnesses in which we hosted the mother of a well-known Isis West Africa Province (ISWAP) hostage and others to high-level meetings in Washington, DC, including with the office of the Vice President.
I do not expect there to be any complications regarding FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) as no part of our funding will come from the state of Armenia, and we will not be pushing for U.S. policy on behalf of or as a representative of the state of Armenia.
With great regard,
Dede Laugesen
Executive Director
Save the Persecuted Christians