Plane arrives from Azerbaijan without Armenian captives
“Russia-mediated negotiations with Azerbaijan on the return of POWs and other detainees continue, and we hope that the Azerbaijani side will eventually show respect for the signed statement and implement the humanitarian agreement, thereby contributing to the establishment of stability in the region,” Avinyan's Office said in as statement.
On Thursday, the relatives of the servicemen and civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity gathered at the Erebuni airport in Yerevan waiting for he landing of the plane from Baku that was to bring home a certain number of Armenian captives. The plane arrived but without captives.
In the meantime the relatives of the missing servicemen and prisoners of war continued to cordon the building of the Ministry of Defense in Yerevan. According to media reports, the police tried to negotiate with the crowd and urged them to unblock the building, but without success.
The relatives of the captured servicemen also blocked the roads in the Shirak region of Armenia. The protesters demand a clear answer to the question of when the prisoners will be returned.
The number of Armenian POWs still in custody in Azerbaijan remains unclear. By the end of February 2021, Armenia’s Representative Office at the European Court of Human Rights had asked the court to intervene with Azerbaijan regarding 240 cases of alleged prisoners of war and civilian detainees. In approximately 90 percent of those cases, the office said, they had provided photo and/or video evidence confirming that Azerbaijani forces had taken these people into custody.
Armenia’s leadership said that Azerbaijan has returned 69 POWs and civilians. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that his government has returned all the POWs to Armenia but was still holding approximately 60 people as terrorism suspects. -0-
