Azerbaijan hides real number of Armenian captives, Yerevan tells ICRC

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is currently participating in the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, met with Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Friday, September 24, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Mirzoyan stressed the importance of the activities of the ICRC in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The ICRC President, in turn, revealed details about the organization's programs in the region.

During the talks, the Armenian foreign policy chief weighed in on the consequences of the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan, as well as the need for the immediate release of the Armenian captives without preconditions.

The Minister noted that Azerbaijan, in violation of the Geneva Convention and its obligations under the tripartite statement of November 9, continues to hide the real number of captives and their places of detention, creating artificial barriers to their repatriation by politicizing humanitarian issues.

Mirzoyan also noted that no artificial obstacles should be created by international organizations in Artsakh for the implementation of the humanitarian mission.