Azernews.Az

Tuesday March 19 2024

Armenia transfers Azerbaijani captive, handover procedure violated

5 December 2012 09:58 (UTC+04:00)
Armenia transfers Azerbaijani captive, handover procedure violated

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia has transferred an Azerbaijani captive with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and upon request of the two countries' authorities.

Forty-year-old Azerbaijani citizen Telman Aliyev, who was captured by Armenian servicemen in Azerbaijan's Gazakh region on November 12, was released at the contact line of the two countries' armed forces in a village of the same region on November 30, the Azerbaijan State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons said.

Aliyev, a resident of Alpoud village of the Gazakh region, went missing after losing his way in the fog while grazing cattle and crossing the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. Aliyev is deaf and mute.

After his release, Aliyev was handed over to close relatives in the presence of relevant state agencies. His health condition was normal.

The employees of a working group of the State Commission, the Ministry of Defense and the ICRC, acting as a neutral mediator, were involved in the handover process.

Prior to his repatriation, ICRC representatives had visited the civilian in order to assess the conditions of internment and his treatment. The organization also provided information to the civilian and his family members, Trend news agency reported.

Before the repatriation the internee had confirmed to ICRC delegates that he was returning on his own free will.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani State Commission accused Armenia of violating the agreed captive handover procedure. It said that although the captive was handed over without incidents, the Armenian side acted beyond the initially agreed procedure, made a statement the day earlier about the upcoming handover process and created suitable conditions for journalists' participation.

Moreover, Armenian servicemen also took part in the handover process, which was protested by the State Commission. The Armenian representatives participating in the handover process were informed about the protest through the ICRC.

The ICRC, acting under a relevant international convention, has been working in the region in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992.

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two South Caucasus neighbors fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, in defiance of the UN Security Council's four resolutions on their pullout from Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions.

Russia, France and the U.S. - co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - are brokering peace talks. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

Loading...
Latest See more