Mirzoyan: Baku Continues its Armenophobic Rhetoric, Refuses to Release Armenian POWs

YEREVAN — In blatant violation of the Trilateral Statement and international humanitarian law, and despite clear calls from the international community, Azerbaijan refuses to release Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, Armenian Foreign Ministet Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Indian WION.

Mirzoyan said that “the aftershocks of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 still affect Armenia and the whole region.”

He said that “the situation in our region remains unstable and tense, and many issues remain unresolved after the cessation of hostilities.”

“Armenophobic rhetoric still continues coming from official Baku. Psychological terror against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is still being carried out – calls from loudspeakers to leave their homes, threatening to force them to leave or cutting off gas supplies in severe weather conditions. The latest case is the incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 24. Nevertheless, we believe that the solution is peace, not war, and Armenia continues its efforts to establish peace and stability in the region,” he said.

Speaking about the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, Ararat Mirzoyan said that political will and readiness to take concrete steps are needed to achieve a settlement.

“The Armenian side has shown both many times, and we expect the same from the Turkish side. Despite all the risks and fragility, there is an opportunity to open an era of peaceful development in our region, and Armenia will continue its efforts to contribute to the realization of that opportunity,” Ararat Mirzoyan said.