Armenia and Russia's Chief Prosecutors Discuss the Return of Prisoners Illegally Held in Azerbaijan

The meeting between Armenia's Chief Prosecutor Artur Davtyan and Russia's Chief Prosecutor Igor Krasnov took place in Vladivostok, Russia. During this fifth meeting of the year, the chief prosecutors discussed the cooperation between their offices and the results achieved, as well as issues related to enhancing the effectiveness of communication in the realm of legal assistance in criminal cases.

The Armenian Prosecutor's Office reported that the meeting addressed the joint efforts to combat transnational crime, the protection of citizens' rights in the criminal legal sphere in both countries, the strengthening of cooperation in crime detection, and the implementation of measures envisaged by the cooperation memorandum signed between the two prosecutor's offices, including the organization of reciprocal visits of delegations.

Both sides expressed a strong appreciation for the frequency of meetings at the level of chief prosecutors, which provides new impetus for the practical strengthening of the operational resolution of current issues and contributes to increasing the level of mutual trust between the prosecutor's offices.

One of the agenda items was the issue of ensuring peace, stability, and security in the region following the 2020 Artsakh war, along with the status of commitments undertaken by all parties.

Expressing gratitude to the Russian side for its efforts in ensuring security in Artsakh, the protection of Armenia's borders in the most sensitive areas, and the safety of communication infrastructures, Artur Davtyan drew his Russian counterpart's attention to the artificial and subjective provocations from Azerbaijan that disrupt the communication routes of Armenian settlements. He proposed steps aimed at developing legal operational mechanisms to prevent such incidents.

The discussion also included the necessity of fulfilling demands related to the return of Armenian servicemen, civilians, and other persons who are unlawfully held in Azerbaijan, as derived from the trilateral statement of November 2020.