Azerbaijan and Armenia agree on reciprocal release of servicemen

Following negotiations between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, guided by principles of humanism and as a goodwill gesture between the two nations, an agreement has been reached to release 32 individuals of Armenian origin by Azerbaijan and two Azerbaijani servicemen by Armenia.

Report informs via AZERTAC that the 32 individuals destined for return to Armenia, 26 of whom were arrested during anti-terror measures in the Hadrut direction in December 2020, with the remaining six detained at the border on different occasions, have already served the majority of their sentences.

Crucially, the released individuals do not and cannot include leaders of the so-called regime who committed war crimes and outrage on humanity against the Azerbaijani people, such as Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Ruben Vardanyan, as well as Vagif Khachaturyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan.

This step is a clear example of the importance the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev attaches to the people of Azerbaijan, the country's citizens and servicemen, and shares in the feelings of the relatives of those held in captivity. President Ilham Aliyev once again proved that he is the President of every Azerbaijani.

The agreement has been reached through direct negotiations between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia with no involvement of the third country. This is further evidence that Azerbaijan and Armenia can forge the peace process ahead without mediators.