Azerbaijan repatriates another 8 Armenian prisoners of war

YEREVAN, February 7. /ARKA/. Azerbaijan has repatriated another eight Armenian prisoners of war, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan said today. 

He said the repatriation of Armenian POWs was mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel.

Hunanyan revealed their names: Tarzyan Sarkis, Balayan Vardges, Petrosyan Armen, Babayan Artur, Sarkisyan Hamayak, Galoyan Gurgen, Kyuregyan Grigor, and Maloyan Vagarshak.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a videoconference Friday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel.

The meeting highlighted the progress made since their meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership summit last December in Brussels, especially regarding the release of prisoners and ongoing joint efforts to locate missing persons.

Groups of Azerbaijani troops illegally crossed the Armenian state border on May 12, 2021 and advanced about 3 km into Armenia’s sovereign territory in Gegharkunik and Syunik regions allegedly to "adjust the borders." Part of them pulled back later, but some are still in Armenian sovereign territory.

On May 27, 2021 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed that Armenian and Azerbaijani troops withdraw from the border areas to the places of their permanent deployment, suggesting that Russia deploy Russian border guards along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border - from Sotk (Gegharkunik) to Khoznavar (Syunik). After that, according to his plan, it will be possible to begin the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Yerevan demands that the international community respond to the aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, which is directed against Armenia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and regional security. -0-