Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Yerevan’s position regarding the Azerbaijani captives once again proves that Armenia ignores norms of the international law.

This was stated during the meeting of Ali Hasanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Refugees and IDPs with Elena Aymone Sessera, newly appointed head of the ICRC Azerbaijan office and her forerunner Denise Duran.

Azerbaijan, whose 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia in this direction. In August 2014, in Sochi, Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia once again confirmed their adherence to the principles stating the need to find a resolution by exclusively peaceful means while respecting territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination.

However, the Armenian government has ignored this statement by refusing to return hostages Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov who are in Armenian captivity for more than two years.

Hasanov and ICRC representatives mulled the release of the Azerbaijani hostages.

Shahbaz Guliyev, Dilgam Asgarov and Hasan Hasanov (killed during arrest) have been detained in the occupied Kalbajar region while they were attempting to visit the graves of their relatives in July 2014. One year later, the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh judged them illegally. Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years, following the ‘process’.

Addressing to the meeting, Hasanov said he has recently attended an international event in Geneva, where he met the ICRC president for the issue of Azerbaijan’s hostages.

“I asked the ICRC president to organize online communication between Dilgam and Shahbaz and their family members on Skype,” Hasanov said, adding that necessary work is underway.

Work on clarifying the fates of the hostages and missing citizens is a priority task for Azerbaijan, the Head of State Commission on Prisoners, Hostages and Missing Persons, Lieutenant-General Madat Guliyev stated earlier.

“We need to improve this activity in accordance with the strategic line established by President Ilham Aliyev,” Guliyev emphasized.

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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova

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