U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the issue of the 19 Armenian prisoners unlawfully held in Azerbaijan will be raised during his visit to Baku, making the remarks at a February 10 press briefing at Yerevan airport after meeting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as he departed Armenia for talks expected to address humanitarian concerns and regional stability.
“That’s certainly going to come up,” Vance said on February 10 during a press briefing at Yerevan airport following his meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan, when asked by Armenpress whether he would raise the issue of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan.
Vance highlighted the strong working relationships the U.S. maintains with both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. “I heard the Prime Minister said this yesterday, actually, that he is optimistic about the peace deal based on where we are compared to just a few months ago,” he said. “So we are certainly going to raise a number of topics, but I think we will continue to work very successfully with the Azeris and the Armenians.”
Currently, 19 Armenian prisoners remain unlawfully held in Azerbaijan. The group includes former political and military leaders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), such as former presidents Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arkady Ghukasyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan; and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.
Last Thursday, the Armenian captives in Baku were sentenced to long-term imprisonment, in some cases to life sentences.
On February 9, outside the presidential residence where the meeting between Pashinyan and Vance took place, a group of citizens held a protest, carrying photos of Armenians imprisoned and sentenced in Baku and chanting for the release of Armenian captives. The protest was attended by Mane Tandilyan, leader of the “Aprelu Yerkir” party; former Armenian Human Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan; former Artsakh Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan; and others.
Vance departed Yerevan later that day en route to Baku, where discussions are expected to focus on both bilateral and regional issues, including humanitarian concerns, peace process developments, and broader U.S. engagement in South Caucasus stability.
This visit marks the highest-level U.S. administration official to visit Armenia in recent years, and Vance is the first U.S. vice president to travel to Azerbaijan since former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2008.
