Pashinyan`s associate: In Armenia the issue of PoWs  being used to  manipulate public opinion

ArmInfo.The trial conducted by Azerbaijan against the military- political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh pursues a specific goal - an emotional impact on the Armenian population. Sarkis Khandanyan, a member of the National  Assembly from the ruling Civil Contract faction, stated during a briefing in the Armenian parliament.

At the same time, Pashinyan's associate is confident that the  situation needs to be taken critically and the effectiveness of these  discussions in securing the release of prisoners of war and their  return to their homeland should be assessed. "The temptation to make  loud statements and deliver influential speeches is strong. However,  I reiterate the need to assess how useful  these discussions are in  facilitating the release of prisoners of war and their return to  Armenia," the MP said. 

Regarding the statement made by the lawyer of former Artsakh State  Minister, Ruben Vardanyan, claiming that the Armenian authorities are  not taking actions  to release the prisoners, Khandanyan chose not to  provide a direct answer. He noted that he did not want to engage in a  remote polemic with Vardanyan's lawyer, since he believes that their  viewpoints are fundamentally different.  "regarding the steps taken  by the Armenian government to release the prisoners, Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan have  already addressed this issue," Khandanyan added, assuring that many  steps are being taken in this direction, although they may not always   be visible to the public.

Khandanyan mentioned  the resignation of Armenia's representative on  international legal issues, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, but stated that he  could not provide more details than what the Armenian Prime Minister  had already shared, as he lacked additional information. He assured  that Kirakosyan's decision to resign  was not related to his  statement that Armenian  claims in international courts do not affect  peace negotiations with Azerbaijan. "Kirakosyan wrote a statement of  his own free will. This is the result of  several months of  discussions," the deputy added.