National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan stated during a press briefing in parliament that he is ready to visit Azerbaijan when the timing is appropriate and is also willing to invite his counterpart, Sahiba Gafarova, to Armenia in any format, according to Auroranews.am .
In response to a journalist's question on whether he has received an invitation to visit Azerbaijan, Simonyan said no such invitation had been extended but that he would be open to discussing it if it were.
When asked whether visiting Azerbaijan is appropriate while Armenian captives are still being held there, Simonyan replied, “What do I mean when I say ‘discuss’?”
He also said that Azerbaijan’s decision not to participate in the European Political Community summit scheduled for May 2026 in Yerevan is unrelated to Armenia. According to Simonyan, the Azerbaijani side cited its relationship with the European Union as the reason, and Gafarova conveyed on behalf of the president that the decision had no connection to Armenia.
Simonyan recalled that he had previously noted the possibility of reciprocal visits between senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials to Yerevan and Baku, but emphasized that the issue of Armenians held in Azerbaijan must first be resolved.
According to Azerbaijani media, the prosecution is seeking life sentences for former Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former Deputy Commander Davit Manukyan, and former National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan. In addition, the prosecution has demanded 20-year prison terms for former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, as well as Madat Babayan and Pashay Melikset. Sentences requested for other detainees include: Garik Martirosyan – 19 years, Davit Alaverdyan – 18 years, Levon Babayan – 17 years, and 16 years each for Vasil Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Edik Ghazaryan.
