Armenian villager taken captive by Azerbaijani Armed ForcesJuly 16, 2018 - 11:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An Armenian man from a border village, Karen Ghazaryan was taken captive by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on Sunday, July 15. The Police said the circumstances of how the man ended up on the other side of the border are being investigated. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry declared that their troops had thwarted an alleged subversive attack by the Armenian side, which was refuted both by the Armenian police and the Army. The Armenian Defense Ministry said Ghazaryan (b. 1984), a resident of the village of Berdavan, doesn’t serve in the army and has never been drafted. Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post that Minister Davit Tonoyan, who also chairs the Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, has already asked the Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help arrange the return of Ghazaryan. The police revealed earlier that Ghazaryan has health issues and has been registered in a medical facility since 2013. “The Yerevan office of the ICRC has been notified of Karen Ghazaryan’s health problems,” Hovhannisyan said. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |