Lena Nazaryan Discusses Prisoners Issue with Francophonie Mission

On May 10, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Lena Nazaryan, met with members of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, including Jean-Charles Luperto, Sophie Métis, Aurora Madaula, Joshua Osih, Emmanuel Mori, and Fatmir Leçi. The meeting was also attended by the head of the Armenian delegation at the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly, Hovhannes Igityan.

This visit of the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly delegation to Armenia was initially scheduled for November last year, but was postponed due to the well-known events.

Welcoming the guests to the parliament, Lena Nazaryan emphasized that many events have occurred in our country since November: “Armenia went through a difficult and heavy war. This happened because Azerbaijan violated the international agreements for peacefully resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

The Deputy Speaker highlighted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has no military solution; it is a political issue that remains unresolved. She also mentioned that Armenia is a blockaded country by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, which remains unresolved after seven months, was underscored during the meeting. She pointed out that the pressure from international bodies regarding this issue is increasing, also through their French partners, for which she expressed her gratitude.

Jean-Charles Luperto, head of the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly’s European region mission, thanked for the reception, conveying their sincere, warm, and supportive attitude towards the Armenians. He requested the priority of presenting factual information reflecting the current situation to be conveyed to their counterparts and to prepare relevant resolutions.

Lena Nazaryan, outlining the priorities of action, highlighted issues related to the return of prisoners of war, the preservation of cultural values in Artsakh, and the fate of Artsakh. In this context, the Deputy Speaker emphasized the importance of restoring negotiations in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The members of the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly delegation expressed their readiness to assist in addressing the raised issues.