Armenia Pursues Return of Prisoners of War at the Highest Level: Foreign Minister

As a signatory to the trilateral statement, we are deeply concerned about Azerbaijan's continuous violations of key provisions of that statement,” said Armenia's Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan at a meeting with members of the National Assembly's Permanent Committee on Foreign Relations. He referred to the violation of the ceasefire regime that occurred yesterday.

According to Ayvazyan, Azerbaijan is violating points 1 and 8 of the trilateral statement, which stipulate that the parties must remain in their occupied positions, completely cease fire, and return prisoners of war and detained individuals.

“In some cases, these violations have been interconnected, as evidenced by the attack by Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of Khizaberd and Hin Tagher villages in the Hadrut region, which resulted in 64 servicemen being captured. The fabrication of charges against Armenian servicemen and the initiation of criminal cases not only violate the trilateral statement but also the Geneva Conventions. These actions do not contribute to efforts to establish trust in the region, as the most important guarantee for building trust is the implementation of the commitments undertaken, rather than the continuation of hostage-taking and anti-Armenian policies,” stated Minister Ayvazyan.

The Foreign Minister also assured that Armenia is pursuing the issues of returning prisoners of war at the highest level, as the Armenian Prime Minister stated during the trilateral meeting on January 11.

“By being part of the January 11 trilateral statement, Armenia clearly indicated that it is ready to take steps towards mutually beneficial use of our region’s economic and infrastructural potential. However, to achieve success, we need mutual trust,” the minister emphasized.