Raising This Issue Will Place Negotiations in a Deadlock: Simonian

The return of prisoners as a precondition for signing a peace agreement will lead negotiations into a deadlock and escalate the situation. This was stated today by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonian, during a press briefing with reporters.

"This is not being done with a logic of preconditions; it is being done through diplomacy, which has been pursued over the last four years, and we currently have confirmed 23 prisoners out of the hundreds who were taken captive, 12 of whom, if I’m not mistaken, were captured in 2023," Simonian said.

He emphasized that making ultimatums to any party—whether to us or to them—only reaffirms the actions of certain parties and individuals who are working against our state.

As for what impact the statement by the U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Walts regarding the release of prisoners might have, Simonian suggested asking the individual making the statement.

"I hope that this statement will be followed by concrete actions, and it will not just be a statement for the sake of making a statement," Simonian noted.

When asked about what he meant by "concrete actions," Simonian said he did not know. "Let them call, negotiate on how they will return our prisoners—all of them without exception, regardless of when they were captured," he added.