Information security expert Tigran Kocharyan, in a Facebook post, commented on the White House reference to Armenian prisoners held in Baku and on the list of Armenian Christians cited by U.S. President Donald Trump.
He wrote that the list was compiled “not by Armenia but by a private American” and that “Artsakh’s leadership is not included.”
“This is the list of 23 Christians Trump unexpectedly mentioned to Pashinyan during their meeting.
It does not include Bako Sahakyan or other military-political leaders currently in Baku’s prison.
It does not include the soldiers and civilians captured in 2023.
Moreover, the list was compiled by Joel, an American Protestant preacher who, by his own account, had the opportunity to speak personally with Trump,” Kocharyan stated, providing a link to the list.
He outlined the following points:
A. Pashinyan did not raise the issue of Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Ruben Vardanyan, or other detainees during the negotiations.
B. The list of 23 was not prepared or submitted by any official Armenian body; it was a private American initiative.
C. Pashinyan was entirely unprepared for Trump’s mention of this list, as his gestures and reactions clearly showed.
Kocharyan added that the list has no connection to the official Armenian side and was entirely formed within a private initiative, noting that Pashinyan’s reaction indicated the topic was a complete surprise to him.
On August 8 in Washington, President Trump stated he would support the release of 23 Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijani jails. He made the remark during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House.
In response to claims that Pashinyan had opposed the return of some or all of the captives in Washington, Prime Minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan wrote on Facebook that “the issue was raised with President Trump precisely on Prime Minister Pashinyan’s initiative.”
