Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed on Thursday that his administration is making daily efforts to secure the release of Armenians held as prisoners in Azerbaijan.
“We are making maximum efforts to achieve concrete results. My approach is this: as long as those results are not there, I won’t make any announcements. When there is something to report, there will be an announcement,” he said in response to a question from Armenpress during a press briefing.
Pashinyan noted that communications with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are ongoing, particularly following the establishment of peace resulting from the document signed on August 8. He stated that such contacts continue periodically and will be publicly reported when concrete results are achieved.
Several prominent Artsakh politicians are among the Armenian prisoners of war and detainees held in Azerbaijan. During the mass exodus of the Armenian population from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) amid the Azerbaijani offensive in September 2023, a number of high-ranking, then-incumbent, and former officials were detained and charged with what has been widely described as fabricated charges, including terrorism.
A show trial began in Baku on January 17 against the detained Armenian officials. Azerbaijan has officially acknowledged that it is holding only 33 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians; however, Armenian human rights advocates assert that there are more than 80 Armenian detainees.
On February 28, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement voicing concern over the ongoing “trials” of Armenian prisoners, citing reports from their attorneys about pressure, instances of torture, and a noticeable decline in their health. The Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as Azerbaijan’s use of a “judicial spectacle” to exert political pressure on Armenia. It emphasized that these proceedings violate international humanitarian and human rights law, and are aimed at intimidating Armenian society. The ministry reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the unconditional release of all Armenian detainees and called on the international community to intervene.
The detainees and POWs include: former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; then-Speaker of Parliament Davit Ishkhanyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan; and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.
Pashinyan also referred to his recent trip to Egypt, describing the summit he attended as “unprecedented,” and expressed his gratitude to the presidents of the United States and Egypt for the invitation, calling it “a great honor” to participate in the event.
