ArmInfo.Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explained the motives for the return of an armed Azerbaijani soldier who crossed the border, in conditions when Baku continues to illegally hold Armenian prisoners, including former high-ranking officials of the Republic of Artsakh.
According to him, for a long time there has been a high-level agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the return of military personnel who got lost and found themselves on the opposite side.
"This agreement was violated between the parties before 2018 and after, and it was not the agreement that was violated, but the perception of it. The parties had different perceptions of the situation. Those military personnel or ordinary citizens who "got lost" intentionally, or committed certain actions that are punishable by the criminal code, naturally had problems in resolving this issue. We reaffirmed the agreement with the President of Azerbaijan that if someone gets lost, they will be returned. This is the first time, after a long break, that the agreement was revived in practice on our part," Pashinyan told reporters.
He noted that a criminal case was opened and it was established that crossing the border was not a deliberate act.
The head of the Armenian Cabinet assured that daily work is being carried out on the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. In order to keep someone in custody, there must be legal grounds, without them the RA cannot detain someone, concluded Nikol Pashinyan.