French, Armenian foreign ministers discussed return of POWs from Azerbaijan
YEREVAN, February 12. /ARKA/. Armenia's Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian had a telephone conversation Thursday with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.
It said as a follow-up to previous contacts, the foreign ministers discussed comprehensively a set of issues of regional stability and security, touched upon the steps taken to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the problems its Armenian population is facing.
In the context of humanitarian issues requiring urgent solutions, the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed the issue of returning of Armenian POWs and civilians held in Azerbaijan as hostages to their homeland, pointing out the inadmissibility of creating obstacles by Azerbaijan in this process. In this regard, Aivazian thanked his French counterpart for keeping this issue on the agenda.
The ministers stressed the need to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship and exchanged views on the nearest schedule of the mediators' activities.
Aivazian and le Drian highly appreciated the recent visit to Armenia by a delegation headed by the Secretary of State at the French Foreign Ministry Jean-Baptiste Lemoine, made at the order of French President Emanuel Macron, to discuss the prospects for cooperation in areas of mutual interest. An exchange of views took place on further steps to be taken following the visit.
Ayvazyan and Le Drian attached importance to the continuation of consultations and visits at different levels.
In general, as of February 10, with the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, a total of 69 citizens of Armenia and 16 Azerbaijanis were returned home.
The Armenian authorities decline demands to disclose the exact number of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan on the grounds that it is a state secret.
However, according to various sources, there are more than 140 names on the Armenian exchange list. The European Court of Human Rights said it has received requests concerning 228 Armenians held in Azerbaijani captivity.
There are many videos on the network showing Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in captivity in Azerbaijan subjected to humiliating treatment. Armenia agreed to 'all for all' swap of captives. -0-
