PreferredI consider it realistic that Baku will release a certain number of captives in the context of the start of the COP29 event, but I have no positive prediction that this measure will extend to the former leadership of Artsakh. Siranush Sahakyan, the Armenian prisoners’ of war representative at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and president of the International Comparative Law Center, stated this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.
"In the context of this event, there were many initiatives by the public sector, with the engagement of international partners, and they demand the immediate return of all 23 Armenian hostages [in Azerbaijan], and they consider this also as a prerequisite for participation in the [aforesaid] event. There were also calls from the political bodies of international governmental organizations. They refer not only to Armenian captives, but also to problems that have not been solved in Azerbaijan for years, among which the problem of political prisoners is unique. The number is increasing; more than 300 people currently have the status of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. It is clear that Azerbaijan is under rating risks and must take certain steps in order to internationally maintain its standing.
These persons play an important role in the hands of Azerbaijan in order to solve various foreign political problems. Their factor is still being manipulated. As long as Azerbaijan can extract satisfaction of various demands from the authorities of Armenia, international partners regarding their release, it will not release [them]. In my assessment, this measure will mostly apply to the [Armenian] persons who participated in the combat operations as a result of the September [military] aggression of 2023 [by Azerbaijan]—and why not? Maybe those taken captive in 2020," Sahakyan noted.
According to her, the authorities of Armenia will participate in the COP29 climate conference and, as per Sahakyan, it would be illogical not to participate in the conditions that the international partners did not carry out a widespread boycott, and the authorities of Armenia politically supported Azerbaijan to host the COP29 event in Azerbaijan.
"In the case of participation, we also expect that Armenia’s delegation should raise the unresolved, difficult problems that exist in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, and draw the attention of the international community to these problems. That is, the participation should not be in the role of physical presence or passive listener, but in a proactive role," said Sahakyan.
And when asked which group of Armenian captives’ return Armenia’s authorities are inclined towards, Sahakyan said: "The captive who took part in military operations and did not carry out political activities. In this regard, Armenia has no reason not to be consistent in their return. Discussions of a different nature can be held regarding the former leaders of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], as they have fought for the right of self-determination of Artsakh, had their expectations regarding actions and support of Armenia, which were not met.
In recent years, disagreements between the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh have also been noticeable, so there are problems with a political component here. Globally, Armenia has positive obligations towards all its citizens, including those who have participated in the establishment of Artsakh statehood, and is obligated to make diplomatic, political, and legal efforts to ensure the solution of this problem."
