ArmInfo. The opposition factions "I have the honor" and "Armenia" of the Armenian parliament published a draft joint statement on the Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, which was not adopted in the country's legislative body the day before, since it was not supported by the ruling faction "Civil Contract".
It says, in particular: "The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia calls on the international community to use its influence for the immediate release of the military-political leadership of Artsakh and all other Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku."
The opposition factions recalled that as a result of the large-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of the Republic of Artsakh from September 27, 2020 to October 4, 2023, all Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to leave their historical homeland under the threat of physical destruction, where the heritage of Armenian civilization goes back thousands of years. "The mass forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh, carried out by the Baku regime through the policy of genocide, is a gross violation of international law," the statement said.
As the opposition factions recalled, as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression and the forced deportation of the Armenians of Artsakh, the military-political leadership of the NKR and numerous Armenian prisoners have been illegally held captive for over a year.
"The detention of our compatriots in the Baku prison is not only a consequence of Azerbaijan's anti- Armenian policy, the manifestations of which continue to this day, but also an attempt to use human lives, freedom and dignity as a means of pressure in the existing negotiation process," the statement continued.
In this regard, in parallel with the holding of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, representatives of the Armenian legislative body called on the international community to use its influence for the immediate release of the military-political leadership of Artsakh and all other Armenian prisoners in Baku.
n addition, they called on the Armenian government to actively cooperate with international organizations to achieve the release of the military-political leadership of Artsakh and all other Armenian prisoners.
"We remind the leadership of Azerbaijan that, based on the fundamental provisions of international law and human rights, Azerbaijan is obliged to immediately release all Armenian prisoners," the statement, which was never adopted by the Armenian parliament, summarizes.
On the eve of COP29 in Baku, protests began in different countries around the world demanding the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan.
While protests demanding the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan began in various countries around the world on the eve of COP29 in Baku, the ruling Civil Contract faction in Armenia yesterday failed to adopt a statement initiated by the opposition in parliament on the imperative of releasing Armenian prisoners of war and hostages from Baku prisons. The draft statement of the National Assembly, which emphasized the need to put pressure on Azerbaijan on this issue, was supported by only 30 opposition MPs. The ruling party stated as an excuse that this issue was their focus and they did not see the need for additional action on this issue.