Armenia will take all possible steps to protect Nagorno-Karabakh leaders illegally arrested by Azerbaijan - Foreign Ministry

YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. The Republic of Armenia will take all possible steps to protect the rights of illegally detained representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh in international, including judicial instances, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement today.
On October 3, Azerbaijan arrested former Nagorno-Karabakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan and incumbent parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan. Earlier, it arrested ex-state minister Ruben Vardanyan, ex-foreign minister David Babayan, as well as former defense minister Levon Mnatsakanyan and former deputy defense minister David Manukyan.
"We strongly condemn Azerbaijan's detentions of Nagorno-Karabakh leaders Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, David Ishkhanyan, Ruben Vardanyan and others," the Armenian Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
It said that despite the statements of high-ranking Azerbaijani officials about dialog with representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, respect and protection of the rights of Karabakh Armenians, readiness not to hinder their return to Nagorno-Karabakh, establishment of peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan continue unauthorized arrests.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry recalls that the Republic of Armenia has repeatedly, including on September 23 from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, raised the issue of the necessity to guarantee the exclusion of such actions.
On September 28, the Republic of Armenia filed a request to the UN International Court of Justice for the application of an interim measure in the case "Armenia v. Azerbaijan," which is being investigated within the framework of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, demanding that Azerbaijan refrain from punitive actions against the current or former leadership or military personnel of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We also call on international partners to follow all their statement on the protection of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh addressed to Azerbaijan to this day and to address this issue both in the sphere of bilateral relations with Azerbaijan and in various international instances," the statement said. -0-