Mirzoyan: Third Countries Have Refused to Intervene in Efforts to Secure Release of Armenian Detainees in Azerbaijan

YEREVAN — Armenia has appealed to partner countries to help arrange visits to Armenians held in Baku, but those efforts have been unsuccessful, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a parliamentary question-and-answer session on October 28.

“We have asked, we have appealed, and they were told to stay out of the matter. Do you want the bitter truth? That’s it. We have our own course of action, and we are pursuing it. That path runs directly through our dialogue with Azerbaijan,” Mirzoyan said.

The foreign minister emphasized that securing the release of Armenian detainees remains a permanent priority on Armenia’s agenda. However, he explained that he prefers not to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts publicly until they produce tangible results.

“This is a constant part of our agenda. But why don’t I like to talk about it repeatedly? Because it is such a sensitive issue. Either there is a result or there isn’t,” he said.

According to Mirzoyan, the extent of diplomatic efforts is ultimately irrelevant unless they lead to the release of those being held.

“The outcome here is very clear and measurable: Is the detained person released or not?” he stressed.

The minister noted that Armenia has undertaken numerous initiatives since the most recent releases, including efforts that cannot be disclosed publicly.

“We have done many things since then. Some of them I can discuss from this podium, while others I would rather not mention because doing so would require naming other countries and potentially placing them in an uncomfortable position,” he explained.

Mirzoyan warned that disclosing certain diplomatic details could damage Armenia’s international relations, particularly because Yerevan intends to continue working with the countries it has approached.

“We have appealed to them, but it hasn’t worked. I don’t want to name those countries because we will continue working with them. The third-country approach is not producing results,” he said.

He also criticized suggestions that Armenia has failed to pursue available opportunities for securing the detainees’ release through third-party mediation.

Using Madagascar as a hypothetical example, Mirzoyan explained that some have proposed asking a third country to visit Armenians detained in Azerbaijan or mediate their release.

He stressed that Armenia has already explored such possibilities but has not achieved the desired results.