Edmon Marukyan, former Ambassador-at-Large and leader of the Bright Armenia Party, expressed confidence that the issue of Armenian detainees and hostages held in Baku could have been resolved during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on August 8, but that opportunity was missed.
“I believe the detainee and hostage issue could have been addressed during the meeting with President Trump. But since it wasn’t resolved, it means the issue was either poorly raised or not raised at all, I don’t know,” Marukyan said, as reported by Pastinfo.
He recalled that Trump had mentioned the topic during the meeting. “He said that if he told Aliyev, Aliyev wouldn’t refuse. But whether he actually asked Aliyev to release the detainees afterward is unclear. We haven’t heard anything. We’ve seen no official statement from Armenia, and as a result, the issue remains unresolved. If this is being handled, it’s ineffective, because nothing has been achieved,” he added.
Marukyan also criticized the lack of public response from Armenia’s government regarding the charges filed by Azerbaijani prosecutors against former Artsakh officials currently standing trial in Baku.
According to him, Armenia’s silence regarding the ongoing legal proceedings is deeply troubling.
“It was critical for Armenia to issue statements, yet we’ve seen none. It appears, in my view, that we are tolerating what’s happening in Azerbaijan. This is a terrible precedent for a state failing to defend its citizens and compatriots,” he said.
Asked whether this silence indicates government acceptance of the trials, Marukyan said that even if the authorities are involved, their efforts are ineffective.
He also noted that once verdicts are handed down, the only path for returning the detainees would be through a presidential pardon by Azerbaijan.
“International practice shows that a court ruling doesn’t change much—if there is political will to release someone, and if there are negotiations and work being done, the issue can be resolved,” Marukyan concluded.
According to Azerbaijani media, prosecutors are demanding life sentences for former Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former Deputy Commander David Manukyan, and former Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan. For former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, and for Madat Babayan and Pashayan Melikset, 20-year prison terms are being sought. Other sentences requested include: Garik Martirosyan – 19 years, David Alaverdyan – 18 years, Levon Babayan – 17 years, and 16 years for Vasili Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Edik Ghazaryan.
