Armenia wants repatriation of citizens jailed in Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on Monday, September 23 raised the return of Armenian citizens from Azerbaijan at a meeting with Azeri foreign policy chief Elmar Mammadyarov in New York.

The two were meeting under the auspices of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group -- Igor Popov (Russia), Andrew Schofer (United States), Stephane Visconti (France) -- and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Mnatsakanyan and Mammadyarov met on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian side stressed the need for adhering to the ceasefire and de-escalating the situation.

Azerbaijani troops attempted a subversive attack on the contact line with Karabakh (Artsakh) on Sunday. The Armenian side took measures to foil the attack, forcing the Azerbaijani troops to retreat. The rival also left the body of one soldier from their own side in the neutral zone. The Armenian side has reportedly already agreed to return the body to Azerbaijan.

Also, the sides agreed to meet again in the near future, while the co-chairs expressed a wish to visit the region.

The Foreign Ministers last met on June 20 in Washington, DC.