I Propose to Instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Have Armenian Ambassadors Work Intensively on the Issue of Prisoners of War - Marukyan

The leader of the "Enlightened Armenia" faction, Edmond Marukyan, writes on his Facebook page: "One month after the signing of the trilateral statement on the ceasefire, on December 12, Azerbaijan resumed military operations in the directions of the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd. In these hostilities, the Armenian side suffered around ten casualties, and over 60 individuals were taken captive.

To this day, the Armenian side has been demanding the return of prisoners of war in various international platforms, while Azerbaijani delegates insist against our statements that these captured individuals cannot be considered as prisoners of war, as they allegedly attacked the Azerbaijani side after the signing of the ceasefire agreement.

Armenian ambassadors in all countries should have utilized these two months to organize meetings with the national delegations of relevant parliamentary entities such as the EU, OSCE, PACE, and NATO, explaining to them the facts that it was, in fact, Azerbaijan that attacked about a month after the signing of the trilateral statement, killing peacekeeping Armenian servicemen and taking captives from the area.

If this work had been carried out by Armenia's ambassadors, our international partners would have been informed about the situation, and we would not have had to provide them with information at a zero awareness level and request them to exercise their powers in favor of the Armenian side while also resisting Azerbaijani propaganda.

The picture would have been different if any work had been carried out with the national delegations by Armenia's ambassadors. In conclusion, I propose to instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia to have Armenian ambassadors work intensively, hold meetings with parliamentary representatives from relevant countries, and especially with members of national delegations included in international parliamentary organizations to present the reality—that the battles in Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd began with an attack unleashed by Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeeping forces had not yet arrived, resulting in the death of 9 Armenian servicemen and the capture of 62 individuals. Under international humanitarian law, these individuals can only be considered prisoners of war with corresponding legal consequences and are subject to mandatory return to the Armenian side."