Russia says working on return of Armenian PoWs

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia continues to work with Yerevan and Baku on the return of Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for the transfer of minefield maps to Azerbaijan, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Zaitsev told reporters on Thursday, September 30.

Zaitsev said Moscow hopes that the process will help the sides improve relations, TASS reports.

“We continue to work on the return of Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for maps of minefields. We are convinced that the quick and final elimination of these problems will contribute to the improvement of relations between Yerevan and Baku, ”he said, writes TASS.

Zaitsev noted that Moscow is leaning on the trilateral statements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated November 10, 2020 and January 11, which "act as a reliable guarantee of preventing such tragic events in the future."

“In its efforts to stabilize the situation in the region, Russia is focusing on the implementation of the tasks arising from these trilateral agreements, moving forward in all directions,” he stressed.

Azerbaijan is refusing to return all Armenian prisoners of war, in violation of the statement on the cessation of hostilities signed by the parties in November 2020. The Armenian side has information about some 200 Armenians still in Azerbaijan’s captivity, but Azeri President Ilham Aliyev claims that persons being kept in Baku are not PoWs, but “terrorists and saboteurs”. At least 19 of the hundreds of Armenian captives have been tortured and killed, according to lawyers.