David Babayan Discusses Immediate Return of Armenian Prisoners of War with Ann Linde

On March 16, David Babayan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, who is on a working visit to the Republic of Armenia, met in Yerevan with the current chair of the OSCE, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

The meeting included the personal representative of the OSCE chair, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the permanent representative of Artsakh in Armenia, Sergey Ghazaryan, and other officials.

During the meeting, issues related to the resolution of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict were discussed. Babayan emphasized the necessity of resuming the negotiation process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group for a comprehensive and fair resolution of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict.

He also presented to the OSCE chair the humanitarian situation created as a result of the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with the support of Turkey and international terrorists.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh noted that the immediate return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan is an urgent problem that cannot be postponed.

Babayan stressed the inadmissibility of using the suffering of those in captivity and their relatives for political bargaining.

The head of Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry urged the OSCE current chair to take all necessary measures to ensure the strict implementation of Azerbaijan's obligations under international humanitarian law.

Babayan expressed hope that the international community would support Artsakh in solving vital issues, such as providing assistance to those displaced by the war and preserving Armenian cultural heritage in areas seized by Azerbaijan.