Responses from the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Switzerland
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation has responded to a letter from about 40 Armenian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) addressed to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Karin Keller-Sutter. Representatives of the NGOs that signed the letter informed NEWS.am about this development.
In a letter sent to the Swiss Embassy in Armenia on March 4, 2025, the NGOs called on the President of the Swiss Confederation and the government to once again assume the role of a neutral mediator:
“We therefore request that you and your esteemed government once again assume this role as a neutral mediator and provide consular access and emergency medical assistance to Ruben Vardanyan and the other Armenian prisoners.”
In response, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs stated that Switzerland has repeatedly called for all necessary measures to be taken to protect the rights of displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh under international law. The letter further explained:
“As for consular assistance, as provided for in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, such services must be requested by the states concerned. We are closely monitoring the situation through our embassies in Yerevan and Baku. Switzerland encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize negotiations to sign a lasting peace agreement. It remains ready to support their efforts with its good offices if the two parties involved explicitly request it.”
The same NGOs also appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (RA), Ararat Mirzoyan, urging him to implement a mechanism to ensure consular access through third countries for Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku, under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
NEWS.am also sent an inquiry to Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, asking whether steps were being taken to implement such a mechanism. The response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated:
“Addressing the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan remains a priority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The issue is regularly raised with international partners on both bilateral and multilateral platforms.”
The response also listed the meetings and international forums where the issue had been discussed.
Regarding the specific question about consular access, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied:
“At the same time, regarding the inquiry ‘on the use of magnanimity in ensuring consular access through third countries,’ we inform you that, taking into account the confidential nature of the issue, the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot provide full information on the steps taken and to be taken to address the issue.”