Ara Aivazian: Azerbaijan refuses to fulfill its obligations on the  return of prisoners of war

ArmInfo.On January 12, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Gutterres comprehensively presenting the situation  over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict following the large-scale military  aggression launched by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020. This was  reported by the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

According to the source, in his letter, the Minister notes that amid  the unprecedented global health crisis, the violation of the  decades-long ceasefire in the region has led to numerous casualties,  large-scale ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of Artsakh,  deliberate destruction, desecration and vandalism of the Armenian  religious and cultural monuments.

In the letter, the Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the cases  of violations of the November 9 trilateral statement's provisions by  Azerbaijan, noting that more than a month after the ceasefire was  established, Azerbaijan carried out military operations in Hin Tagher  and Khtsaberd villages in Hadrut region of Artsakh. It was noted that  during the military attack, the Azerbaijani armed forces captured 64  Armenian servicemen, violating Azerbaijan's commitments to maintain  the ceasefire established by the trilateral statement.

The incomplete implementation of the Article 8 of the trilateral  statement by Azerbaijan was emphasized in the letter, which mandates  the "exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detained  persons and dead bodies''. It was stressed that Azerbaijan, in fact,  refuses to implement its commitment which is a blatant violation of  international humanitarian law.

Minister Aivazian drew the attention of the UN Secretary General to  the reluctance of Azerbaijan regarding the cooperation with  international organizations in cultural heritage protection. "Lasting  and sustainable peace in the region could be achieved only through  the comprehensive resolution of the conflict that will include the  status of Nagorno- Karabakh based on the realization of the right of  self-determination of the people of Artsakh",- concluded the Foreign  Minister of Armenia.