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Armenia refusing to release Azerbaijani hostages

22 August 2014 14:36 (UTC+04:00)
Armenia refusing to release Azerbaijani hostages

By Sara Rajabova

The release of Azerbaijani hostages detained by Armenian armed forces in occupied Kalbajar region is highly important for the Azerbaijani government.

Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov said the Azerbaijani governments has been following closely the issue of returning Azerbaijanis - Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, as well as the corpse of murdered Hasan Hasanov.

He said Azerbaijan has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a proposal to exchange the hostages.

Three Azerbaijani civilians (Russian citizen Dilgam Asgarov, Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev and Hasan Hasanov) were detained by Armenian forces in early July while they were visiting the graves of their late relatives. ICRC Baku office earlier reported that Hasan Hasanov was buried in Nagorno-Karabakh after being killed by Armenian forces.

Hasanov stressed that Azerbaijan offered Armenia to exchange an Armenian family of five persons, as well as the corpse of the Armenian saboteur, who died of heart failure in return for Azerbaijanis, taken hostage in the occupied Kalbajar region, and Hasan Hasanov's corpse.

However, he noted, the ICRC told the Azerbaijani side that the Armenians are willing to exchange only the corpse of murdered Hasan Hasanov for the corpse of the saboteur.

Hasanov went on to add that the Azerbaijani side will not sit back from its original proposal.

He further said he holds meeting with the ICRC representatives in Azerbaijan every two days. "The country quickly responds to the ICRC's appeals and provides all necessary information about the hostages. However, the Armenian side does not act this way," Hasanov said.

Previously, Armenian media reported that a criminal case was filed against the Azerbaijani hostages.

Armenia violated the international legal norms by taking hostage the Azerbaijani civilians as they didn't violate any border law between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They were on their own native Kalbajar region.

Azerbaijani State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People said releasing the Azerbaijani citizens is on the top of the list of its priorities.

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