At its session on Tuesday, the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia did not accept the draft NA statement on the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) being held in Azerbaijan.

The draft statement was tabled as part of urgent debates and was prepared by the parliamentary opposition.

Ruling Civil Contract Party’s parliamentary faction, which has a clear majority in the NA, did not participate in the voting for this draft statement. Thus, it essentially defeated the respective vote.

Only 30 opposition MPs voted in favor of this draft NA statement.

"The opposition is attempting to turn the issue of [Armenian] prisoners [in Azerbaijan] into political capital," NA deputy speaker Ruben Rubinyan said during the debates from the parliament's podium.

In his view, the return of Armenian POWs does not depend on the parliamentary meeting and the draft of the aforesaid statement submitted, but on the diplomatic work of the country's authorities.