Pashinyan expresses concern over issue of Armenian detainees held by Azerbaijan

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YEREVAN, September 2. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed deep concern over the issue of prisoners, detainees, and hostages being held by Azerbaijan, emphasizing that it remains a significant concern for Armenia./pp

This issue worries us greatly. We are working on it daily, although much of this work is not visible, and that is its nature, Pashinyan said during a press conference on Saturday./pp

He highlighted that the issue is one of the key provisions of the trilateral statements by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, which address the return of prisoners, detainees, and hostages./pp

In many cases, when our Russian colleagues refer to the trilateral statement, it pains me to see that they essentially overlook the issue of returning prisoners, detainees, and hostages. If the trilateral statements are the foundation and we want to give them importance, we should read them from the first point and see who was supposed to do what and who hasn’t fulfilled their obligations, Pashinyan said./pp

Azerbaijan officially acknowledges holding 33 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians. However, Armenian human rights activists assert that there are at least 80 more Armenian detainees./pp

Among those detained in Azerbaijan are prominent figures, including former State Minister of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan, former Presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, former Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister and ex-Presidential Aide Davit Babayan, and former Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Davit Manukyan. Also under arrest are former President Arayik Harutyunyan and former Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan./pp

On December 13 2023, a total of 32 Armenian prisoners returned from Azerbaijan to Armenia. Among them, 31 were servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces captured between 2020 and 2023, while one was captured in Nagorno-Karabakh in September./p br br