We Were Forced to Agree to the Return of Over 30 Prisoners to Armenia: Simonyan

We still do not have a decision regarding participation in COP29; we need to discuss and understand what our purpose for going is and what benefits it will give to Armenia. This was stated by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, during a conversation with reporters in parliament, in response to a question on whether there is an agenda for Armenia to attend COP29 in Baku.

“In any case, the invitation to COP29 and its participation is not Azerbaijan's monopoly; it is not an Azerbaijani event; it is an event of the UN, and Armenia is a member of the UN. I reiterate, there is no decision yet, but we will discuss it and understand whether it is needed for our state—if we need to go, we will, if not, we won’t,” said Simonyan.

In response to the question of whether Armenia regrets supporting the international event being held in Azerbaijan, the Speaker of the National Assembly replied, “No, how could we regret it? We received prisoners in return for that. We did not support it but were forced to agree to it in a very difficult situation, under bad circumstances, for the return of over 30 prisoners to Armenia; why wouldn't I have agreed? What, a UN event had to be held there, of course not.”

According to Simonyan, Armenia is not taking any action aimed at canceling the COP29 event or influencing it, and that is the correct approach. “Azerbaijan has a historical opportunity to send a positive message to the world, to present itself positively; this is about the prisoners' issue. I am interested in the presence of our 23 individuals there, the peace agreement, and I believe Azerbaijan has a historic opportunity to consider how it presents itself and its visiting card. Whether it will take advantage of it or not is another question,” said the Speaker of the National Assembly.