Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.18
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
No country willing to accept an Armenian family kept in Azerbaijan has been found so far, said the head of the working group of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People Firudin Sadigov Nov.18.
He said that Yeghishe Gevorgyan and his family (wife and three children) violated the border of Azerbaijan, but here they were treated in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law. Azerbaijan has kept them as refugees for about five years because of their desire to leave Armenia.
Sadigov said that the Azerbaijani representation of UN High Commissioner for Refugees is currently involved in their transfer to a third country, but it has been in vain so far, since the country willing to accept an Armenian family has not been found.
He said that if the members of this family were citizens of other country, Azerbaijan would immediately deport them. But at present, Azerbaijan is in a state of war with Armenia, and the principle of humanity does not allow the country to send them to Armenia.
It should be noted that 52-year-old Yegishe Gevorgyan and his wife Ruzanna Mardanyan with three young children voluntarily crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border by car, entering the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic January 10, 2010. They said that they had to leave Armenia due to unbearable living conditions and asked to send them to a third country.
Despite the efforts of the Azerbaijani side, no third country is willing to accept the Armenian family. The source said that the family Gevorgyan decided to return to Armenia because all their efforts were in vain. Currently Gevorgyan is willing to return to Armenia but to avoid persecution, so that his children could get an education in the Armenian language and normal living conditions.
In this regard, they have twice appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross but the officials in Yerevan refused. In its turn, the Armenian side says that Gevorgyan was convicted eight times and tends to avoid punishment.
The Department of Public Relations of the ICRC refused to comment on the situation. The State Commission on captive, missing and taken hostage citizens reported that the members of this family are neither prisoners nor hostages and, according to the Armenian media, a criminal case was brought against Gevorgyan and he seeks to escape from responsibility.
Azerbaijani government in accordance with the obligations applied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
It should be noted that these citizens of Armenia have been living in Azerbaijan for 4 years and 10 months and received temporary shelter. But it is still unclear how long they will remain in Azerbaijan.