Armenian NA calls on international community to exert pressure on  Azerbaijan 

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.