Armenia dismisses allegations of neglecting Baku captives

By Alexander Pracht

Armenia’s foreign ministry has dismissed speculations that the plight of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan is being sidelined, telling CivilNet in a written response that the issue remains a top priority in both bilateral talks with Baku and discussions with international partners.

“The Foreign Minister consistently raises the release of Armenian captives in meetings with international counterparts,” the ministry claimed, adding that the matter is also regularly discussed with the families of detainees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other relevant stakeholders.

The ministry noted that resolving this humanitarian issue is expected to serve as a confidence-building measure between the sides, while also expressing hope for a “positive outcome” through ongoing dialogue with Azerbaijan. It added that the pre-signing and the expected full signing of a normalization deal would create a more favorable environment for addressing humanitarian concerns.

Families of the captives, however, warn that the situation is deteriorating, especially after the ICRC was forced to suspend its work in Azerbaijan following government expulsion earlier this year. Among those affected is Lebanese-Armenian civilian captive Vigen Euljekjian, who has been imprisoned since 2020. Euljekjian’s wife Linda told CivilNet on Friday that he suffers from severe pain but is denied medical treatment. She added that other prisoners face similar health problems and despair, with ICRC, their main lifeline to food and basic supplies, now cut off.

Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan told CivilNet earlier this week that ICRC’s exit drastically increases the risk of torture and mistreatment.

She criticized the Armenian authorities for not pursuing alternative channels, such as involving Switzerland as a neutral party, to maintain contact with detainees. Unlike the foreign ministry, which views a peace deal as a path to resolution, Sahakyan argued that the return of captives should be treated as a “precondition” for any credible peace process.