Holy Etchmiadzin says no letter received from Caucasus Muslims head

PanARMENIAN.Net - Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II did not get any letter regarding Armenian captive Hakob Injighulyan from Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh, Director of the Information Service Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Fr. Vahram Melikyan said.

According to him, His Holiness Karekin II sent a letter to the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board with a request to mediate release of the Armenian captive. However, His Holiness has not received any message from Pashazadeh since the latter met with serviceman Injighulyan on November 2.

Earlier in the day, Azerbaijan Press Agency quoted spokesperson for the Caucasus Muslims Board Rahima Dadashova as saying that Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh has sent a letter to the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

Pashazadeh’s letter reportedly informed about the outcome of his meeting with Armenian serviceman Hakob Injighulyan held hostage in Azerbaijan. The meeting took place at the request of Karekin II. No further details were specified.

Pashazade met with Armenian captive Hakob Injighulyan at the request of Karekin II. Following the meeting, he announced that the captive’s detention conditions are satisfactory. “He’s taken care of,” Pashazade said.

In mid-October media was circulating reports suggesting the Armenian captive was to be moved to a third country from Azerbaijan. The information, however, hadn’t been confirmed at the Yerevan Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The report was published by an Armenian media source with a reference to Injighulyan’s cousin Arman. The latter, however, refuted the information in a conversation with PanARMENIAN.Net noting that Hakob never expressed intention to leave for a third country. “Representatives of the ICRC informed us about such an opportunity,” he said.

On October 14, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross met with Injighulyan in Azerbaijan. As media contact person for the ICRC Delegation to Armenia, Zara Amatuni told PanARMENIAN.Net the ICRC members conveyed a letter from the family to the Armenian serviceman.

No other details of the meeting were disclosed.

On the night of August 8, Injighulyan, born in 1991, failed to find his bearings on the ground and crossed into the Azeri-controlled territory.

Azeri media outlets have been since spreading information suggesting the captive is unwilling to return to Armenia.

However, Injighulyan never mentioned his unwillingness to return to Armenia in a meeting with ICRC representatives, with Azerbaijani Prisoners of War Commission Secretary noting he sees no problem with the captive's return.

Armenia has repeatedly slammed the “interviews” with Injighulyan as forced by Baku and urged the ICRC to take every effort to help the captive’s return, with no persecution to be initiated against him in the absence of crime in the act.