The Dutch government considers as POWs all captive Armenians who are held by Azerbaijan, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Armenia Nico Schermers told Armenpress.

“All Armenians held in Azerbaijan are recognized by the Netherlands as prisoners of war. The Netherlands has a very small role in the issue of the NK [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] conflict settlement, and we are making our efforts through Brussels or the OSCE Minsk Group format,” the ambassador said.

Also, the Dutch ambassador to Armenia expressed hope that a lasting solution to the conflict will be found.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev refuses to honor the commitments assumed in the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 to return Armenian POWs. He states that Azerbaijan has returned to Armenia all captives, whereas “only criminals” still remain in their custody.