Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to discuss the situation of Armenian prisoners of war, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
Mirzoyan and Spoljaric Egger exchanged views on humanitarian issues, focusing in particular on the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages held in Azerbaijan. They also addressed the difficulties of arranging ICRC visits to detainees following the closure of the organization’s office in Azerbaijan.
Both sides expressed hope that the peace established under the agreements of the August 8 Washington Summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan will also help advance the resolution of humanitarian issues.
According to official figures, 23 Armenians remain imprisoned in Baku. Some have already received long-term sentences on various charges, while trials against others — including members of Artsakh’s former political and military leadership — have been ongoing for eight months.
Since the closure of the ICRC office in Baku, Armenian prisoners have been left in complete isolation. For the past three months, no independent international body has been able to visit them.