Grigor Minasyan: Azerbaijan does not consider some of the detainees POWs

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the return of the Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, Armenian Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan told reporters.

“Of course, there are also Red Cross visits,” he said.

According to Minasyan, the prisoners get in touch with their loved ones from time to time.

“The Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters is also working intensively in many international institutions. I am sure that this is quite large-scale work, and soon we will have the opportunity to present what we have achieved thanks to the decisions approved by international bodies,” he stressed.

Minasyan did not specify the number of prisoners that are currently in Azerbaijan, noting that he relies on the data of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

“There may be a misunderstanding, since the Azerbaijani side does not consider some of them prisoners of war, and the Armenian side has a different approach. So, let’s be guided by the data provided by the Investigative Committee of Armenia,” he said.

Earlier, Chair of the Investigative Committee Argishti Karamyan reported that at the moment there are 23 prisoners confirmed by Azerbaijan, with 17 of them being captured during the latest attack. He added that the Armenian side has evidence of the enforced disappearance of 32 individuals after the 44-day war.