These two events are unrelated. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at a press briefing Thursday, as he commented on the returning of four Armenians from Azerbaijani captivity and the handing over of two Syrian mercenaries to Syria.

Pashinyan said that the Armenian authorities want and are working towards further development of relations with Syria. The Armenian premier expressed hope that this decision, which he described as “friendly” towards Syria, will create a more favorable environment for the Armenian community in Syria.

As reported earlier, Armenians Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian and Vagif Khachatryan were returned to Armenia from Azerbaijani captivity on Wednesday. On the same day, Syrian mercenaries Yousef Alaabet al-Hajji and Muhrab Muhammad al-Shkheri, who had fought against the Armenians during the 44-day war in 2020 and were sentenced to life imprisonment in Armenia, were handed over to Syria via Turkey.