Armenia pledges to hand over alleged saboteurs’ bodies
Armenia will hand over the bodies of two Azerbaijani servicemen
killed March 3 on the contact line of the two countries’ troops in
the coming days, Armenia Today news agency has quoted an officer of
the country’s Armed Forces Headquarters as saying.
Lieut.-Col. Samvel Asatryan said Yerevan is in talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitates the transfer of POWs, on handing over the two corpses and repatriating one Azerbaijani prisoner.
The Armenian Defense Ministry has claimed that a group of four or five armed saboteurs who crossed over from Azerbaijan had been neutralized in a village of the country’s Tavush province. It said that one of the dead bodies remained in the Armenian territory, while the other in a neutral area. Another alleged border trespasser was wounded and died on the way to a hospital. The Armenian side claims that other wounded members of the group managed to escape, returning to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry has dismissed the allegations.
Six Armenian servicemen are presently held in Azerbaijan. Also, an Armenian family who crossed the border in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is currently in Azerbaijan. Armenia holds two military men captive, and one Azerbaijani civilian is held hostage.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict over the mountainous region for two decades. OSCE-brokered peace talks kicked off after a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law.*
Lieut.-Col. Samvel Asatryan said Yerevan is in talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitates the transfer of POWs, on handing over the two corpses and repatriating one Azerbaijani prisoner.
The Armenian Defense Ministry has claimed that a group of four or five armed saboteurs who crossed over from Azerbaijan had been neutralized in a village of the country’s Tavush province. It said that one of the dead bodies remained in the Armenian territory, while the other in a neutral area. Another alleged border trespasser was wounded and died on the way to a hospital. The Armenian side claims that other wounded members of the group managed to escape, returning to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry has dismissed the allegations.
Six Armenian servicemen are presently held in Azerbaijan. Also, an Armenian family who crossed the border in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is currently in Azerbaijan. Armenia holds two military men captive, and one Azerbaijani civilian is held hostage.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict over the mountainous region for two decades. OSCE-brokered peace talks kicked off after a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law.*
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!