Azerbaijan to continue to make efforts to release hostages
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan will continue to make diplomatic and political efforts to release Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who were taken hostage by Armenians, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said at a press conference on July 23.
He noted that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov addressed the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross in connection with the taking of Asgarov and Guliyev hostage by Armenia.
Hajiyev added that this issue has been brought to the attention of the international community.
Asgarov and Guliyev have been kept hostage by Armenian militaries in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan for more than four years already. They were detained by the Armenian armed forces in July 2014 while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Moreover, Armenian armed forces killed the third Azerbaijani Hasan Hasanov.
Later, Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of the separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited “judicial process” in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev – to 22 years in prison.
Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and other agencies have repeatedly urged international organizations, including the ICRC, to assist in release of Guliyev and Asgarov, whilst the problem remains topical yet.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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