EU fails to exert sufficient pressure on Baku regarding Armenian  captives - Armen Ishkhanyan in Brussels

ArmInfo.The European Union is not exerting sufficient pressure on Azerbaijan to secure the release of Armenian captives, as stated by Armen Ishkhanyan, son of  the former Chairman of the National Assembly of Artsakh, David  Ishkhanyan, during a conference in Brussels titled " Armenian  Prisoners in Azerbaijan and the Imperative of European Union  Engagement".

While expressing gratitude to the European Parliament for its stance  on the issue of Armenian captives, Ishkhanyan noted that,  unfortunately, the EU's executive branch has failed to demonstrate  the same consistency.

Armen Ishkhanyan recalled the 2023 Azerbaijani aggression against  Artsakh, which followed a nearly ten- month blockade of the  self-determined republic. He added that his father and other Armenian  captives have been held in Azerbaijani prisons for approximately a  thousand days. They are being subjected to fabricated criminal cases,  with some already sentenced to life imprisonment—including his  father.  "It turns out that people are being convicted for fighting  to realize the right of peoples to self-determination, which is one  of the foundations of international law, while the state that handed  down these sentences bears no responsibility. The peace negotiations  between Armenia and Azerbaijan do not address the issue of the  release of Armenian prisoners," Ishkhanyan noted.

Meanwhile, he noted, virtually all known peace agreements have  included the exchange or release of prisoners of war as one of the  first steps. However, he added, today Azerbaijan consistently avoids  addressing this issue. "As my father said, this trial is directed  against him. Therefore, Armenian prisoners of war are being used  against Baku and Armenia, which calls into question the Azerbaijani  side's genuine desire for peace with Armenia. Given the EU's  involvement in peacebuilding in our region, I hope that, with  political will, the release of Armenian prisoners of war from Baku  captivity will be possible. At home, my father is missed by my  mother, my sister, my brother, and his grandchildren. They cannot  understand why their grandfather is not here. A few days ago, it was  my daughter's birthday, and the best gift for her was a phone call  from her grandfather. When she was asked what she wanted as a gift,  she replied that she wanted her grandfather to come home," Ishkhanyan  said.