Arayik Ghazaryan, Captured Last Year, Moves to Armenia: Family Reunited

On December 14, with the assistance of the Russian side, 44 Armenian prisoners of war were transferred from Azerbaijan to Armenia, among them is Arayik Ghazaryan, who was captured on August 12, 2019, and was born in 2000.

In an interview with LURER.com, Arthur Stepanyan, the head of the Yeghengis community in Vayots Dzor, stated that family members have already met with Arayik. “Yesterday, I received a call from the head of Malatia-Sebastia District Police who said they were unable to contact Arayik’s parents. I called Arayik's mother to inform her that her son has returned. She was overjoyed and said they would make a sacrifice. I suggested that they sell him, resolve their issues, and emphasized that the important thing is that the child has returned. Currently, Arayik is in the hospital; his parents have visited him, and he will undergo a medical examination. There will be investigative actions before they return home,” said Stepanyan.

He noted that after meeting with Arayik, he spoke with the parents but did not give details about his condition.

It should be mentioned that the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Artsakh, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, had stated that according to the trilateral agreement signed by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on November 9, a prisoner exchange was carried out based on the “all for all” principle. “This was preceded by extensive preparatory work with the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, carried out by the Russian peacekeepers. As a result, under my personal supervision, a Russian aircraft reached Baku, and 12 people were handed over to the Azerbaijani authorities. From Azerbaijan, 44 people returned to Armenia. Russian peacekeepers will continue to assist in implementing the trilateral agreement,” Muradov noted.