VIDEO: America Must Help Armenia Stave Off Another Genocide

“Securing America” with Frank Gaffney, Dede Laugesen and Suzanne Grishman | August, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Suzanne Grishman, chairwoman of the board for Save the Persecuted Christians and executive director of Mercury One and The Nazarene Fund, visits with Frank Gaffney and Dede Laugesen about her recent trip to Armenia with a delegation hosted by Save Armenia. The group of leaders from America is alarmed at the continued and increasing existential and genocidal threats Armenia, the world’s first and oldest Christian nation, experiences from its Muslim neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Once COP 29 wraps in Baku, many analysts believe Azerbaijan and Turkey will make good on their intent to wipe Armenia off the map.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Frank Gaffney: [00:00:03] We’re back for what is one of the high points of this program each week, I believe, and that is our very special segment with our friend and colleague, Dede Laugesen. She is the executive director of a wonderful organization of which I’m proud to be the president called Save the Persecuted Christians. And we showcase each week some of the work that requires not just that organization’s attention, the coalition, of which it’s a leading part, but also Americans across this country. I’m very pleased by this special guest we have with us, who is a driving force behind the work of our team and Dede. I’m going to turn it over to you to say a few words and then introduce our guest.

Dede Laugesen: [00:00:51] Thanks, Frank. It’s always so good to be here with you to talk about the situation for Christians around the world, as you know, 365 million Christians globally are heavily persecuted in a record number of countries. This is a historic persecution of Christians, the most persecuted religious group on the planet next to the Jews. And I’m thankful today to say that we have been working together with Susanne Gershman, who is the chair of our board for Save the Persecuted Christians and also executive director for Glenn Beck’s Mercury One and the Nazarene Fund. She has recently been to Armenia. It is a country in Central Asia, Central Middle East, near to Iran and Turkey. And it is, um, been the subject. The people of Armenia have been the subject of multiple genocides and, and just last year, Azerbaijan came in by force and took Nagorno-Karabakh, which is an enclave within Azerbaijan, and forced the citizens there to flee to Armenia. Our board chair, Suzanne Grishman, has been to Armenia just recently and is here to share with us what she’s found about what’s happening to Armenia and the threats that they are still facing. Suzanne, welcome. Tell us about your trip.

Suzanne Grishman: [00:02:29] Thank you, Frank, thank you for having me. It was an eye-opening experience. I am a little shocked to say that there’s not much in the news in the media, so I was learning as I was on the ground in Armenia. Armenia is the oldest Christian nation in the world, founded in 300 A.D. around then. And this region has been indigenous to the Armenian people and Christians. This is where Christianity started. So I was able to visit holy sites that have been around since around 300 A.D. I was able to meet with a lot of witnesses and firsthand witnesses that have experienced atrocities and persecution by Azerbaijan. So if people don’t know a lot of the history in the last several years, Azerbaijan has been an aggressor towards Armenian Christians and ethnically cleansing specific areas such as Nagano, Nagorno-Karabakh region, Artsakh, Republic of Artsakh is what it’s referred to, and they actually blocked the corridor from Armenia to this region to be able to get any medical assistance, any food, any humanitarian aid. And they were trying basically to force these people out of their homelands, which they’ve been in around 600 A.D. since that date, and on September 19th, 2023, Azerbaijan came in and started to attack that region, forcing the Christians in this region to evacuate through a corridor that took over three days. It was a humanitarian crisis. Prior that was going on because of the blockade from December 2022 to September 19th, 2023. But when they came through, they pushed over 120,000 Christians into Armenia proper. Armenia has, of course, accepted and graciously taken in all of these Christians, but they have been removed from their homeland. They have ethnically cleansed all the Christian sites. We have proof of it. It’s on satellite images. They are going in and they are destroying churches, monasteries, crosses, and monuments that have been erected since 600 A.D. For the Christians in that region. Let me just.

Frank Gaffney: [00:05:04] Let me just make one point. If I may clarify who’s perpetrating this. The Azerbaijan population is overwhelmingly, if not entirely, Muslim, and I describe it as Sharia supremacist, as is its principal sponsor of Turkey. And both have been making very clear that what they’ve done to Nagorno-Karabakh is what they have in mind for Armenia as well. Is that right?

Suzanne Grishman: [00:05:38] Yes, sir. They have and they have publicly come out and stated this. I don’t know if many people are familiar with the Armenian Genocide that happened in the early 1900s, but Turkey came in the Ottoman Empire trying to take over. They killed millions of Armenians. And this is them. Part two, trying to finish what they did not finish back in the early 1900s. Azerbaijan and Turkey are sister countries. So yes, this is part of both of them and their initiatives and their efforts, and they are boldly proclaiming it and they are boldly stating it on a daily and weekly basis. So this is something that they are threatening.

Dede Laugesen: [00:06:22] So the Aliyev regime actually calls Armenia Azerbaijan West and has full intention to take that country and cleanse it. What can you tell us about that? You’ve visited with Armenian government officials and the US ambassador to Armenia. What did they have to say about this situation that is building up and likely to go kinetic very soon?

Suzanne Grishman: [00:06:53] They are very aware of it. They are preparing. But our hope here in the United States, the United States can put pressure on them; the United States Christians can do that. Congress can do that. This administration can do that. There are some bills that have already been passed in the Senate that could potentially stop aid from going to Azerbaijan. They need to know that the world is watching, especially since they have been awarded to host Cop 29, which is the climate change conference in November. They are going to attack. They’re making it imminent and aware. And we as Christians in the United States and around the world, this is our number one duty. This is the oldest Christian nation. If Christians aren’t the ones that are going to stand up for the oldest Christian nation and help and assist in this effort, bringing awareness to what is going on. That is our one call as Christians in us and around the world.

Frank Gaffney: [00:07:54] So talk a little bit about a coalition that has been formed for precisely that purpose. Of what is being done and most especially Suzanne Gershman. How can people help?

Suzanne Grishman: [00:08:09] So I was blessed enough to go with a coalition and an organization called Save Armenia. They are doing great work. They have taken over delegations. Last year this was a US delegation that went over this year. Save Armenia is behind this. They are working throughout all sides of the aisle. This is a bipartisan issue. This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with ethnically cleansing a community, a culture, and Christians. So that’s what we are trying to oppose. This coalition has come together, several organizations from around the world and the United States, and we are all working together in a coordinated effort to bring awareness to Capitol Hill in September, on the 18th and the 19th of September. So that is the anniversary, the one-year anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. So that’s what we’re going to be focusing on, bringing awareness around that. And all of these coalitions are working together in a coordinated effort to do that. I don’t think that both sides of politics realize the Armenian vote throughout the United States. There are millions of Armenians in the United States, and this is something that is near and dear to their heart. And they will vote based on what happens around this specific and particular subject. Yeah.

Frank Gaffney: [00:09:35] And so if people want to learn more about all of this, and in particular if they wish to make financial contributions, which would help enormously in the effort to both raise awareness about what’s going on here and hopefully bring, as you say, Suzanne, on a bipartisan basis, pressure to bear, especially using the leverage that I think exists most immediately, of course, in the run up to this November. Conference of parties event, as they call it Cop 29. But afterwards as well. How do people help in that way?

Suzanne Grishman: [00:10:17] So people can go to save Armenia? Org and then save the persecuted christians.org because we’re both going to be working together in collaboration in September to bring over witnesses from Armenia to the United States so they can testify in a congressional hearing. So just to.

Dede Laugesen: [00:10:36] Just to correct it, save Armenia, us, save Armenia US, and save the persecuted christians.org.

Frank Gaffney: [00:10:47] Thank you Dede. I know just to close this out, um, this is a priority, as Suzanne says, for our team. Um, as you have been, uh, learning about this problem and working it, uh, is it your feeling that this coalition can make a measurable difference? We’ve got 20s.

Dede Laugesen: [00:11:11] Absolutely. This is a coalition of Christians, Jews and lots of people working both sides of the aisle. This has the power to move, but we need all the people of the United States who are concerned about the persecution of Christians to speak their minds to their leaders.

Frank Gaffney: [00:11:29] Yeah. And I would just say, Suzanne, first of all, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for your leadership in this fight and for your help in waging it, but also just how vital it is that people understand the jihadis who are coming for the Christians in that part of the world are coming for them elsewhere as well, and indeed all of us. Thank you ladies. God bless you. Keep up the terrific work you’re doing and come back to us with updates on all of it.

(END TRANSCRIPT)

_______
Read More at Save the Persecuted Christians