EU says Armenian detainees issue raised with Azerbaijan, calls for humanitarian resolution

Lusine Vardanyan, reporting from Brussels

The European Union has repeatedly raised the issue of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and continues to stress the need to resolve outstanding humanitarian issues between the two countries, a European Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Anitta Hipper, the European Commission’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, made the remarks while responding to a question from a CivilNet correspondent during a press briefing in Brussels.

Asked whether the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Baku is on the EU’s agenda and whether it is raised in contacts with Azerbaijan, Hipper said the bloc has consistently emphasized the need to address humanitarian concerns as part of broader peace efforts.

“As a general point, what we have been doing is supporting Armenia and Azerbaijan in the peace process,” Hipper said. “We have shown our strong support, and we have been working for years with both parties and also international partners to create these conditions for lasting peace.”

She added that the EU has been clear about the need to resolve humanitarian issues linked to the conflict.

“When it comes to the issue of prisoners, we have always been very clear on the need to resolve these outstanding humanitarian issues, including the fate of missing persons and also the Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan,” Hipper said.

The fate of Armenians held in Azerbaijan remains one of the most sensitive unresolved issues following the 2020 war and Azerbaijan’s 2023 military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Also read: Von der Leyen said Armenian detainees issue discussed at ‘highest political level’ in letter to MEPs

According to previous reporting by CivilNet, senior EU officials have said the matter has been discussed with Baku at the highest political level. In a letter to Members of the European Parliament last November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU had closely followed the detention and trials of Karabakh Armenians and continues to call on Azerbaijan to respect due process and ensure transparent investigations into allegations of war crimes.

Currently, 19 Armenians are officially confirmed to remain in Azerbaijani custody following a January prisoner exchange, in which four Armenians were released in return for two Syrian fighters who had fought on Azerbaijan’s side during the 2020 war.

Those still held include several former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh who were captured after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive. Last month, a military court in Baku sentenced former Karabakh leaders Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan and David Babayan to life imprisonment, while former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year prison terms. Former Artsakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan was tried separately and sentenced to 20 years in prison.