France welcomes release of 15 Armenian POWs by Azerbaijan
YEREVAN, July 6. /ARKA/. France welcomes the release of 15 Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan in exchange for maps of minefields, Russian news agency TASS reported, quoting a statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry.
"France welcomes the release by Azerbaijan of 15 detained Armenian citizens, as well as the provision by Armenia of maps of minefields in Fizuli and Zangilan regions," the ministry said.
In the opinion of France, which is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, "this exchange, like the previous one, which took place on June 11, is an important step in reducing tension and restoring confidence between the parties."
"France calls for the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the parties on November 9, 2020, including the restoration of a meaningful dialogue and the release of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan," the ministry said.
"Together with its partners in the Minsk Group, France calls for the continuation of this positive dynamics and reaffirms its readiness to promote long-term peace in the Caucasus," the foreign ministry said.
According to Armenian media reports, 12 out of 15 POWs are those citizens of Armenia who were captured by Azerbaijani military personnel in November 2020 in Khtsaberd (Hadrut region of Artsakh, now controlled by Azerbaijan).
Reports from Azerbaijan said that a court in Baku sentenced them to 6 months in prison on charges of “illegal crossing the border of Azerbaijan”, while charges of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons were dropped. Two more were sentenced to 4 years in prison.
They all are from the Shirak region in the northwest of the country.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, as many as 188 Armenian prisoners are held in Azerbaijan.
In general, as of July 3, 102 citizens of Armenia and 16 Azerbaijanis were repatriated. Most of the Armenian prisoners - 87 people - were returned through the mediation of the Russian Federation, the rest - thanks to the efforts of the United States, the European Union and Georgia. -0-
