Armen Grigoryan receives head of ICRC delegation

On July 30, Armenian Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Armen Grigoryan received the head of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation to Armenia, Thierry Ribaut, MFA said in a statement.

“During the meeting, Armen Grigoryan stressed the need for immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war illegally detained in Azerbaijan, and considered inadmissible the prosecution on fabricated criminal cases against them by the Azerbaijani authorities. In particular, Armen Grigoryan mentioned that according to the 3rd Geneva Convention, the latter have the status of prisoners of war, so they must be under the protection of international humanitarian law. He added that this policy of Azerbaijan contradicts Paragraph 8 of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, according to which the exchange of prisoners of war, captives and other detainees was to take place. It was stressed that Azerbaijan denies the fact that a large number of prisoners of war documented under numerous sources are under its control, refuses to provide information about them, including hiding their places of detention. Such behavior provides serious grounds for suspicion of serious crimes committed by Azerbaijan against the captives, including disappearances. Speaking about the issue of providing humanitarian aid to the affected population, Armen Grigoryan underscored the need to expand the presence of international humanitarian organizations in Artsakh. During the meeting, Armen Grigoryan drew attention to the humanitarian situation created by Azerbaijan’s offensive against the sovereign territory of Armenia, expressing concern that the continued presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the territory of Armenia disrupts the normal life of the population living in border areas and leads to violations of their rights. The head of the ICRC delegation informed about the steps taken by the organization to ensure communication between the prisoners and their families, as well as presented in detail the work done by the ICRC in the border areas,” the statement reads.