Armenia Disagrees with Azerbaijan's Position on Prisoners of War, Says Pashinyan

One of the key topics discussed in Brussels was the issue of the return of prisoners of war. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in the National Assembly:

“The position of the European Union and international organizations is that our compatriots, who were taken captive, should be returned as soon as possible, and our position is also that; we are trying to make the maximum effort to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” he stated.

According to the Prime Minister, Azerbaijan is constantly trying to link the return of prisoners to additional conditions, but Armenia does not agree with this position.

“Our position remains that, according to the trilateral statement of November 9, all detained persons, prisoners of war, and hostages should be returned,” the Prime Minister announced.

He noted that to date, there are 39 confirmed prisoners in Azerbaijan, one of whom recently went missing and ended up under Azerbaijani control.

“The most effective way is to ensure the support and pressure of the international community so that our citizens return home as soon as possible,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister mentioned that many voices have raised the view that the issue of our captured compatriots should become a precondition for political processes.

“Our position has been and remains that humanitarian issues should not be linked to political issues; they are separate concerns. On the contrary, when we relate them to political issues, we do not increase the significance of the issue but rather diminish it,” emphasized Prime Minister Pashinyan.