Baku, Azerbaijan, May 6
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
An Armenian citizen, detained in Azerbaijan, has been handed over to the Armenian side, Azerbaijani State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons said on May 6.
Vagif Maelyan, born 1956, detained on April 20, 2014 near the Abdurrahmanli village of Fizuli region, was handed over in the village of Gervend in the Aghdam region on May 6.
The procedure was carried out by Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry and State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The procedure passed without incident.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by C.N.