On May 26, the Yerevan Dialogue international conference hosted a high-level roundtable titled “Faith and Freedom: Strengthening Religious Freedom in a Shifting Global Landscape,” bringing together global leaders and advocates to discuss the urgent need to protect and promote religious freedom.
Panelists included Sam Brownback, Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit and Save Armenia Board Member (USA); Narek Mkrtchyan, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (Armenia); Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski, Under Secretary of the Secretariat of State (Vatican); Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State; and Oscar Tatosian, Co-Chair of the Armenian Assembly of America (USA).
The discussion emphasized that defending religious freedom is not only a moral and legal imperative, but a cornerstone of democratic resilience and global peace. “The erosion of religious freedom threatens to fracture communities, destabilize societies, and undermine the very foundations of international cooperation,” said Sam Brownback. Narek Mkrtchyan added, “In Armenia, we recognize that strong social cohesion and enduring peace depend on the active protection of fundamental rights, including the right to belief.” Participants agreed that preserving religious freedom must remain a priority in both national and international policymaking, particularly in an era of increasing polarization and intolerance.
