Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explained why Yerevan handed over Azerbaijani serviceman Ruslan Penakhov to Baku.
Pashinyan noted at a press conference on Tuesday, March 12 that Armenia and Azerbaijan have long had a high-level agreement on the return of military personnel who get lost and find themselves on the opposite side. However, even before 2018, the agreement was being violated due to different interpretations.
“During the latest discussions with [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev, an agreement was reached that soldiers should be returned to the opposing side if such incidents occur,” Pashinyan said.
According to him, difficulties with return arise if soldiers deliberately violate the border or commit crimes.
“We have now made a step by putting the agreement into practice after a long break,” Pashinyan said.
He noted that a criminal case was opened to establish whether the Azerbaijani serviceman deliberately crossed the border and found that the serviceman had lost his bearing.
On February 28, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced the disappearance of its serviceman at the border, and on February 29, the Investigative Committee of Armenia opened a criminal prosecution against the detained Azerbaijani soldier, which was discontinued on March 4. The Armenian side collected evidence that a serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Ruslan Penakhov, found himself at the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces on February 28, 2024 after an incident between military personnel on the Azerbaijani side: he ran away and got lost. On March 5 he was returned to Baku.
