Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs Rustam Bakoyan responded to questions in parliament about why Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said “persons deprived of liberty due to a long-standing conflict” at the UN General Assembly instead of using the term “captives and hostages.”
“That expression itself means we have captives held in Baku. I cannot comment on behalf of the prime minister, but I can state with certainty that whenever it comes to the issue of captives, in all meetings with our international partners and in all formats, we always speak first about our captives,” Bakoyan told reporters, as cited by Pastinfo.
Asked whether the change in terminology was a step back or a concession, Bakoyan said he does not see it that way.
“In any case, the fact remains that our compatriots are in Baku, they must return to Armenia, and the prime minister raised this at the UN podium,” he added.
When asked if he noticed a shift in Azerbaijan’s rhetoric since August 8, Bakoyan responded: “Regardless of what they declare, we are moving toward peace.”
“The path is not easy, but the principles recorded in the preliminary signing of the August 8 Peace Treaty show a commitment to peace,” he stated.
In September 2023, following a nine-month blockade of Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population, Azerbaijan captured former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, as well as former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, foreign minister Davit Babayan, and several other ex-officials. The fabricated charges against them could result in life imprisonment. On January 17, a show trial began in Baku against the former Artsakh leaders.
