We welcome Azerbaijan's December 29 return of five Armenian servicemembers who were detained on November 16, 2021. This is noted in a statement which the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US Department of State has issued on Twitter.

“We urge the full and expeditious release of all remaining detainees, exchange of remains, and accounting for missing persons. We stress the importance of humane treatment of detainees in accordance with international obligations,” the aforesaid bureau added in a second statement. 

As reported earlier, five Armenian prisoners of war who were taken captive on November 16 were returned from Azerbaijan Wednesday—and through the mediation of the Hungarian government.