The U.S. Welcomes Azerbaijan's Release of 3 Armenian Detainees

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a statement on his official Twitter page regarding the release of Armenian detainees by Azerbaijan the day before. He stated, “The United States welcomes Azerbaijan's release of three Armenian detainees. We call on both sides to fully and swiftly complete the process of exchanging all prisoners, detainees, and remaining individuals, and to uphold their obligations to ensure humane treatment of those held.”

As previously reported, three Armenian detainees were returned to Yerevan from Baku the day before. In this regard, the office of Acting Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan announced that “as a result of the efforts of the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group and the growing pressure from the international community, Azerbaijan has returned three Armenian prisoners of war. We are hopeful that this process will have a logical continuation and a prompt conclusion.”

It should be noted that Azerbaijani media had earlier reported on the return of the detainees, indicating that they had been captured after the end of the war. Furthermore, the total number of detainees returned to Armenia from Azerbaijan has reached 72. According to Armenian sources, around 200 Armenian soldiers and civilians continue to remain in captivity in Azerbaijan.