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ICRC: Armenian, Azerbaijani POWs want to return home

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 1 December 2010 16:23 (UTC +04:00)
One civil captive and one prisoner of war from the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides want to return back to their country, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Chérine Pollini said.
ICRC: Armenian, Azerbaijani POWs want to return home

Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 1 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /

One civil captive and one prisoner of war from the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides want to return back to their country, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Cherine Pollini said.

"The negotiations are underway to return civil captives and POWs, but no relevant agreement has been reached yet," Pollini said.

Armenia is holding in captivity two Azerbaijani junior sergeants - Roman Huseynov and Anar Hajiyev, which the Armenian armed forces took as POWs on Aug. 27, 2010 and on May 10, 2009, respectively.

At the same time, twelve Armenian citizens are also being held in Azerbaijan

Astrakhan hosted a trilateral meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia - Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan - on Oct. 27. The parties signed a declaration envisaging the return of POWs with the mediation of the ICRC and the OSCE Minsk Group.

According to Pollini, the ICRC acts as a mediator in case prisoners wish to return home.

"The ICRC does not participate in these negotiations if there is not such an agreement," Pollini said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the 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.

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