Former Armenian PoW was surrounded by Azeris for 43 daysJune 25, 2021 - 13:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Armenian prisoner of war Erik Khachatryan and his comrades were surrounded by Azerbaijani troops in Hadrut for 43 days before being captured. In an interview with Armlur, Khachatryan said they hid for 43 days on a roof before being discovered by the Azerbaijanis and taken to Baku. Azerbaijan handed over 15 PoWs to Armenia, including Khachatryan, in exchange for maps of minefields in the Aghdam region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The deal was negotiated with the active facilitation of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker. Khachatryan said he was generally treated normally, and he and his friend were even allowed to read books. Everyone with whom he spoke in the Azerbaijani prison is already in Armenia, he added. Khachatryan said he was informed of his return to Armenia on the morning of June 12. "I did not lose hope that we'll return home. What matters is that everything is behind us now," the serviceman 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. |