ArmInfo.. Head of the Main Directorate of Defense Policy and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia Leon Ayvazyan held a meeting with the delegation led by the head of the Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia Claire Maitro.
As reported by the press service of the RA Ministry of Defense, during the meeting they discussed issues related to the fate of the Armenian officer Gurgen Alaverdyan who found himself in the Azerbaijani territory.
Leon Ayvazyan expressed to the ICRC the concern of the RA Ministry of Defense in connection with the videos about Gurgen Alaverdyan circulated by the Azerbaijani media since August 23 of this year, as well as their content, which is a gross violation of internationally recognized rights. In particular, the gross violation of the obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan in the framework of international humanitarian law. Taking into account the similar policy pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities for many years, the Ministry of Defense asked the ICRC to more consistently protect the rights of Armenians who fell under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan.
The head of the ICRC Yerevan office assured that their organization is taking all the necessary steps to ensure the procedures arising from the status of Gurgen Alaverdyan.
As ArmInfo has already reported, Armenian officer Gurgen Alaverdyan, who was captured by Azerbaijan, faces life imprisonment. He was charged under five articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
To remind, according to the RA Ministry of Defense, on August 22 at 19:30, officer Gurgen Alaverdyan got lost on the ground due to unfavorable weather conditions while checking the combat positions. The RA Defense Ministry also denied the information circulated in the Azerbaijani media about the attempted sabotage penetration by the RA Armed Forces, as a result of which Alaverdyan was allegedly captured. The Armenian Defense Ministry also reported that an official check is underway to clarify all the circumstances of the incident.
The ICRC told ArmInfo that a dialogue has been established with the relevant parties to gain access to an Armenian citizen who finds himself in Azerbaijan.
It is also worth noting that yesterday the Azerbaijani media disseminated a video in which an allegedly Armenian military man admits that he was sent to Azerbaijan to collect intelligence information, and that he allegedly wants to stay in Azerbaijan. Moreover, he reads the text from a piece of paper, and in a poorly written Armenian language.