Azernews.Az

Armenia has handed over an Azerbaijani prisoner of war who refused to return home to another country, the country’s defense ministry was quoted by Armenia Today news agency as saying on Monday.

Junior sergeant Roman Huseynov, 26, was captured by Armenian armed forces in August 2010.

The Armenian ministry reportedly said that Huseynov was transferred to a third country with the aid of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office and the International Organization for Migration representatives, but it did not specify the country.

Ilaha Huseynova, the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Azerbaijan, confirmed that Huseynov was transferred to a third country. She did not give details, saying that the matter was outside the ICRC’s authority.

According to Shahin Sayilov, the spokesman for Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, Armenian citizens held in Azerbaijan are seeking to go to a third country as well.

Eight Armenian nationals are currently held in Azerbaijan. These are three military men and a family of five civilians who voluntarily crossed to the Azerbaijani side.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a brutal war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. Peace talks brokered by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.