YEREVAN. – The group of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) have returned with the efforts of the Russian leadership, as a result of the joint work of the commander of the Russian peacekeepers, the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense, and the National Security Service of Armenia. Boris Avagyan, the former deputy director of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) State Service of Emergency Situations, stated this during Monday’s protest outside the main building of the government of Armenia.

As for the fact that in exchange for the return of these 15 POWs, the Armenian side handed over to Azerbaijan the minefield maps of the Fizuli and Zangelan regions of Artsakh, Avagyan said: "I can say on my part that the Azerbaijanis should be a little careful when using these maps; nothing is ruled out. I personally believe it is a big question what we have given and what we have not given. That is why the loud statements of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry are addressed to their society; and we all know that their society is not a brilliant, developed society. To govern the [Azerbaijani] society, they make statements to show that they have achieved some victory and received something. I believe they also realize that they must be very careful with what they have received. "

Asked, in that case, on what basis these Armenian POWs were released, Avagyan responded: "Negotiation process. Work is being done, it is a work process."

To the question as to whether Armenian acting PM Nikol Pashinyan has anything to do with this issue, the former deputy director of the Artsakh emergency service responded: "I do not think Pashinyan is involved in the negotiation process. The General Staff of the Ministry of Defense, the head of the National Security Service [of Armenia], who work together with the Russian side, are involved."

Boris Avagyan added that the negotiations on the return of these Armenian captives do not personalize as to which POW it is about.