Moses Hakobyan on the Return of 2 Azerbaijani Soldiers to Azerbaijan

According to the official statement from the Ministry of Defense, on December 18, two Azerbaijani soldiers who violated the border were apprehended by Armenian border guards in one of the protection areas of Military Unit N of the Armenian Ministry of Defense. However, on December 20, the mentioned soldiers were returned to the Azerbaijani side for humanitarian reasons and through the mediation of Russia. This is reported by 168.am.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Defense remained silent about the incident for 2-3 days, while various unofficial sources reported that the two Azerbaijani soldiers were captured during an attempted diversion. The Ministry of Defense did not comment on this, as it aimed to return them to Azerbaijan. Therefore, unofficial information was confirmed, as the Ministry only announced this matter after the return of the two Azerbaijani soldiers.

In an interview with 168.am, former Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces, former Chief Military Inspector, and Lieutenant General Moses Hakobyan addressed the return of the two Azerbaijani soldiers to Azerbaijan, especially when many Armenian prisoners of war are currently held in Baku, noting, “I believe Armenia wanted to set an example for Azerbaijan with this step. However, I do not think this step will serve as an example for Azerbaijan or that it will be accepted by them.”

When asked why the Armenian side did not exchange the two Azerbaijani soldiers for Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku, knowing Azerbaijan's policies, Moses Hakobyan responded, “I cannot say, as they are different matters, I do not know.”