Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – Armenia will hand over one of the Azerbaijani captives on Thursday, the country’s defense ministry was quoted by Novosti Armenii news agency as saying.

The ministry did not name the captive, in line with the requirements of international law, and only claimed that he had crossed to the Armenian side earlier this year.

Yerevan said the handover will take place under the agreement to swap prisoners of war and the dead bodies of soldiers signed by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in conclusion of Russian-brokered talks last Wednesday.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Teymur Abdullayev has confirmed the report.

The Baku-based ANS TV channel reported that the Azerbaijani citizen to be repatriated is Eldar Taghiyev, a 47-year-old resident of the western Tovuz district, who was captured by the Armenian troops in December 2009.

In addition to Taghiyev, Armenia holds two Azerbaijani servicemen. Baku also demands that Yerevan hand over two soldiers’ dead bodies.

Six Armenian servicemen and a family of five people as well as the dead body of an Armenian intelligence officer are held in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for two decades. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France, is brokering peace talks.