Armenian PoWs "subject of trade" for Azerbaijan, MP tells OSCE PAJuly 2, 2021 - 16:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Member of the Armenian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, lawmaker Ani Samsonyan has told an OSCE PA committee meeting that Azerbaijan still fails to return Armenian prisoners of war and is using them for political purposes. "These days, trials have begun in Azerbaijan against Armenian captives, which completely violates the principles of international law, the rights of captives and their families," Samsonyan told the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. "Issues of humanitarian law are politicized by Azerbaijan. I will post a link in the conversation chat and show a video where the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey were talking about Armenian prisoners of war as a subject of trade, planning to return them in exchange for maps of the mined areas in Nagorno Karabakh. "This is an undeniable evidence that Azerbaijan is engaged in human trafficking, and the Armenian prisoners of war are the subject of political bargaining for Azerbaijan." Samsonyan maintained that all the trials against the Armenian PoWs are fake processes, aiming to "throw dust in your eyes." Since May 12, she added, the Azerbaijani troops have violated the territorial integrity of Armenia and are refuding to leave the sovereign territory of Armenia. "We call on our European partners to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for violating Article 2 of the UN Charter," the lawmaker said. Azerbaijani forces violated Armenia’s border in several sections in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik on May 12 and 13 and are still refusing to withdraw their troops from the area. One Armenian serviceman was killed in Azerbaijan’s shooting on May 25, six troops were captured on May 27, although four of them have already returned home. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |