The true measure of peace is not found in the signing of an accord, but in security, stability, and lasting change on the ground. This belief drives Save Armenia, a US-based nonprofit founded by James Tufenkian, in its response to the existential crises Armenia is facing.
Dedicated to uniting American Christians in defense of the world’s first Christian nation, Save Armenia recently brought another distinguished delegation to the country from June 14–19. The group included prominent Christian leaders, elected officials, human rights advocates, journalists, and business executives.
The delegation engaged directly with local officials, forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians, and war victims. They traveled throughout the countryside to visit ancient Armenian churches. The delegation was also received by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Mediamax spoke with two members of the delegation, Chief Executive Officer of Save Armenia Dr. Paul Murray and Georgia State Senator Emanuel Jones, about the purpose of their visit and the results of their recent research on peace realities on the ground.
Standing with the first Christian nation
Dr. Paul Murray
I grew up in Massachusetts, United States. When I was 12 years old, my father was working for the state’s governor. At the time, Lebanese Armenians were facing persecution in Lebanon. They were looking for a safe place and wanted to come to the United States. My father began working to bring them to the U.S., offering them the new start they were seeking.
As a 12-year-old boy, I knew little about my father’s work until we were invited into home of that Lebanese Armenians. I listened to the mothers and fathers talk about their struggles, the immense pressure they faced as Christians, and the hardships they endured. I saw how profoundly grateful they were to my father for giving them a second chance. That seed was planted in me then, and I believe it has come full circle today. Now, as an adult, I find myself working alongside Armenians, just as my father did all those years ago.
When the Artsakh war started in 2020, it became clear — as James Tufenkian pointed out — that we needed to protect the sovereignty of Armenia. Because of my work in the international religious freedom space, I convened the first Armenian working group. We brought together members of the Armenian Embassy in the U.S., the diaspora, and various religious freedom organizations to determine how we could help.
Following the tragic events of 2023 — the ethnic cleansing of an entire Christian community of 120,000 people from Artsakh — Save Armenia recognized the urgent need to speak out and defend the Armenian people. Today, our primary focus is on strengthening Armenia, specifically by getting Christian leaders in the United States actively engaged. Our tagline for Save Armenia is: “Standing with the first Christian nation.”
The land where the Bible comes to live
Senator Emanuel Jones
This is my first time in Armenia, and it feels amazing. From the moment we landed, I knew that something was different about this land. I have learned so much in the last several days that I’ve been here.
During our visit, we went to the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. I don’t think I was prepared for what I experienced there. In the church’s museum, they had some artifacts that date way back to the very beginning.
Being a Christian, being a deacon in my church, and having grown up in the Baptist faith, I looked at one of the artifacts and I was told that it is the Holy Spear that pierced my Savior, Jesus Christ. It kind of brought me to tears. I am not an emotional kind of person, but that’s just something that takes you right back to the beginning. For me, it was like the Bible coming alive. It was something that I learned in Bible school, something that my teachers talked about. And yet, here it is, right in front of me.
Before coming here, I did not understand what they meant when they said, “This is the first Christian nation.” What does that really mean? But you have to experience it to really see what that means. Just walk on this land, go to the monasteries, walk through the caves, listen to the priests and bishops. Now when Armenians say that they are the first Christian nation, I do know what that means.
Looking on the realities of peace accord
Dr. Paul Murray
After the signing of the Joint Declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025, everyone was celebrating. We were happy too, as it likely prevented another war.
Save Armenia was initially established to address the ongoing crisis — specifically Azerbaijan seizing land, imprisoning people, and destroying sacred sites. When the peace accord was initialed, we had to rethink how to remain effective. We wanted to talk about the human dignity of every individual in Armenia, the sovereignty of the nation, and the protection of its culture and heritage. And we noticed that those were things that were not addressed by the peace accord.
To understand the situation on the ground, we conducted a comprehensive research of all media — social media, print, radio, and television — coming out of both countries. We wanted to answer two simple questions: Is Azerbaijan working towards peace or against it? Is Armenia working towards peace or against it?
Our first analysis came out in early February, and the results were disappointing. While we have seen Armenia transition toward peace, the same cannot be said for Azerbaijan. The hate speech coming from there is terrible.
Hate Speech that might lead to new Genocide
Dr. Paul Murray
The president of Azerbaijan speaks of Armenians as subhuman, and this negative rhetoric is present even in schools. How can you build lasting peace or work together alongside that kind of hatred?
If you look on the grounds of this, you will see that kind of speech leads to a genocide. When you look at the history of the Holocaust, the pre-Holocaust situation, you will see that similar negative image of Jews was being created. This is what Azerbaijan is doing to Armenians today.
Senator Emanuel Jones
Growing up in the United States and going to some of the best universities. We learned early on about the Holocaust. I didn’t learn about the atrocities going on over here. To me, this is not much different than what happened with the Holocaust.
We, as God’s children, cannot allow that to happen again.
Azerbaijani narratives that work against peace
Dr. Paul Murray
Another thing that came out strongly in the survey was the so-called “Western Azerbaijan” narrative. It targets the sovereignty of Armenia, claiming a land that the entire international community identifies as Armenia. Yet they push this “Western Azerbaijan” label, hoping that if people hear it enough, they will start believing it. How does that help reconciliation?
There are also Armenian territories occupied by Azerbaijan. Those territories need to be returned.
Another indicator we have identified is the release of Armenian POWs and political prisoners. If you are going to talk about peace, the very first thing you should do is release the remaining Armenian hostages.
When we talk to government officials, whether it is the Trump administration or the Armenian government, we say that the release of hostages should be a part of the peace accord. I think the concern is that if it becomes part of the peace accord, it would be a deal-breaker for Azerbaijan. But as someone who stands for human rights and religious freedom, I believe this must be at the core of it, because basic human rights are foundational. If that is not there, how can you ever have genuine peace and reconciliation?
At Save Armenia, we are not saying that Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot work together. They can. And one of the great things about the TRIPP project is that it shows the potential of that happening. But until the people see these things taken care of, how do we know in three to five years that this doesn’t come up again?
We have our second research coming out and we will make it public to serve as a tool for everyone to see what is really happening.
Meeting with the victims of Azerbaijani atrocities
Dr. Paul Murray
People in Armenia know the story of the Armenian female snipers tortured and killed in Jermuk in 2022. I met the son of one of these women during an after-school program where, with the help of the Tufenkian Foundation, child victims of war and violence receive therapy. This boy now has PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from what happened to his mother. This young boy’s life has forever changed. He still asks when his mother is coming home. I saw him drawing a really beautiful picture of three geese, but the original picture he was drawing from had only two. I asked why there were three in his drawing, and he replied, “That’s my father, that’s me, and that’s my mother.” Also, when the kids were asked what they want to be when they grow up, this young boy said he wants to be a sniper.
The impact of what Azerbaijan has done does not just impact this generation, but the next generation, which will then impact the generation after that.
Senator Emanuel Jones
We met some survivors from the genocide in Artsakh, 2023. Unfortunately, they had to relive the horrible experiences that they had, and there was not a dry eye in that room.
Yes, we have violence everywhere, all over the globe. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I know how violence can be. But this is just a different level of violence, a different level of cruelty of man toward man. The moment I met these people, I felt connected to them. And then hearing how they were persecuted, hearing all the horrifying stories… I am telling you, there wasn’t a dry eye in that room.
I see a comparison between what my ancestors and I experienced as people of color in America, and what is going on over here in this region. We endured it, and we endured it together.
We faced immense struggles, but we knew that we were on the right side of history, the right side of justice. And we were believers. So we persevered. We never gave up. We kept fighting. We fought in the courts. We fought in our communities. We fought to change the laws.
You have got to believe. This is not something that happens overnight. Every generation has to bear the burden. Every generation has to carry the struggle forward until we can all realize that we are one world.
How do you bring reconciliation without justice?
Dr. Paul Murray
Now, some people are saying Artsakh is gone. It is not even a part of the conversation anymore. But I talk to people from Artsakh and listen to their stories, I hear the horrid details of people who have been killed by Azerbaijani forces. For example, there is the story of a woman whose throat they cut with a cross: they forced her necklace into her throat and shot her body after she had died. Those kinds of graphic details are not being talked about.
How do you bring reconciliation if you do not have justice? Justice must be done for all of these people who have had family members killed and who were forced out of their own homeland. They should have the right to return. But when I speak to those from Artsakh, they are afraid to go home. First of all, what has happened to their infrastructure?
If you go to Artsakh right now, you will see that they are tearing down the churches and monasteries, destroying the cemeteries and sacred sites — eradicating the whole foundation of a Christian community as if it were never there.
How dare they destroy this beauty and what it represents? Because it is not just a building. It is all about the history of the people: baptisms, weddings, funerals, generation after generation. And now they are going to just remove it all as if it was never there. So, they are not just removing the buildings, but they are trying to erase the history.
And these are the issues that we are working to point out and address.
We are present
Dr. Paul Murray
The first thing we do is bring Christian leaders to Armenia to experience the country firsthand and hear from the people themselves, so this is not a secondary account.
Every individual who comes to Armenia is a person of influence — someone with a network they can reach — so that they can become a voice for the Armenian people.
In our meetings, we have spoken to the President Trump’s administration and the State Department. We used the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in February to raise these issues. We work, first, to raise awareness; second, to advocate; and third, to compel our government to address these issues as part of the peace accord.
People may say, “You are just a small group.” But as people of faith, we know that God is successful when he uses a remnant. We may be small organization, but the people we bring together are people of quality — men and women of prayer who are willing to use their resources, time, and networks to speak for the people of Armenia.
Senator Emanuel Jones
We must rally the international community and people of goodwill to come together and demand support.
I feel like I was blind until I came here, but now I clearly see what God has bestowed upon this land. I believe this is what James Tufenkian, the founder of Save Armenia, is trying to achieve. He didn’t bring us here just to have a good time, see the sights, learn a little history, and go home. He wanted us to take this experience, make it a part of who we are, and share it within our churches and communities. People need to understand that Christians here are being persecuted, and we cannot allow these atrocities to continue.
I am here, and I am ready to lend whatever support I can — my voice, my time, and my resources. I know many others who feel the same.
Dr. Paul Murray
As you travel the hillsides of Armenia, you see crosses everywhere. What is unique about Armenia’s monasteries and churches is that, unlike in other European countries where they are primarily tourist attractions, in Armenia, you will always see people inside praying. It is beautiful, and I believe that is the source of Armenia’s enduring strength.
Gaiane Yenokian talked to Dr. Paul Murray and Senator Emanuel Jones
Photos by Emin Aristakesyan
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