YEREVAN. – The most painful issue for all of us is the issue of the citizens taken captive. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the interim government of Armenia.

"Azerbaijan is not fulfilling the [respective] obligation it assumed, and we can record that this fact is already becoming a matter on the international agenda. Yesterday, the European Union issued a very important statement, in which it is recorded in a very specific and targeted way that Azerbaijan must return all the captives; moreover, regardless of the specific circumstances of the captivity of these persons," he said.

Pashinyan underscored that this statement makes reference to the processes taking place in the European Court of Human Rights, which, as per Pashinyan, adds a legal component to this political statement.

"In recent times, international activism related to the plight of detainees is very important, and it increases the optimism that we will have concrete results in this regard. We need to be as patient and consistent as possible, and this issue must definitely be resolved positively," added the acting PM of Armenia.