Azerbaijan's Behavior Contradicts the Objectives and Meaning of the Document, Further Escalating the Situation: Vardanyan

On June 15, a trilateral meeting took place in Saint Petersburg with the participation of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardanyan, Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov, and Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kamran Aliyev, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

Anna Vardanyan expressed gratitude to Igor Krasnov for organizing such a meeting again in this format. However, she also expressed concern regarding the complete failure of Azerbaijan to fulfill the humanitarian requirements outlined in the trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020, by the leaders of the Republic of Armenia, Russian Federation, and Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as attempts to escalate the situation.

“Since the signing of the statement, Armenian prisoners of war have continued to be held in the Republic of Azerbaijan, 33 of whom have been sentenced. There are also direct evidence of the abduction of two Armenian servicemen by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side justifies the refusal to return a number of individuals to the Republic of Armenia by claiming that those individuals arrived in Azerbaijan after the signing of the Statement, while the Armenian side has fully complied with the requirements of point 8 of the Statement,” mentioned Anna Vardanyan.

The Prosecutor General of Armenia also addressed the recent incidents near the town of Yeraskh and in the Tzi area, where Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire on Armenian positions and civilian infrastructure, emphasizing that the lack of a clear condemnation, the failure to return individuals held in Azerbaijan, as well as the non-implementation of other agreements stemming from the Statement are direct consequences.

“Compliance with the reached agreements and assumed obligations would have allowed us to avoid such incidents. Azerbaijan's behavior not only does not contribute to the implementation of the provisions of the Statement but also contradicts the objectives and meaning of that document, further escalating the situation,” stressed Anna Vardanyan.

At the end of the meeting, the Prosecutor General reaffirmed Armenia's priority in fulfilling humanitarian requirements and emphasized that these requirements have not been fully met by Azerbaijan to this day.