Great Britain calls on Azerbaijan to release Armenian POWs

A question was raised in the House of Lords regarding the cruel treatment against 23 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh held captive in Azerbaijan. The question was raised by the Bishop of Winchester and was answered by Baroness Jenny Chapman of Darlington, a Labour Party member, who presented the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Development.

In response to the question about the UK government’s statements to Azerbaijan and the steps taken in coordination with international partners to ensure Azerbaijan carries out its international obligations, Baroness Chapman stated that “the UK had urged Azerbaijani authorities to guarantee fair trials and safe conditions for those detained during the September 2023 military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh”.

"Our embassy in Baku is closely monitoring these cases and regularly requests updates. We also continue to call for the release of all remaining prisoners of war. Secretary of State Stephen Doughty raised these issues with Elchin Amirbekov, the Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan, during his visit to the UK in October 2024," the response stated.

“On March 10, 2025, during a meeting with Hikmet Hajiyev, the Chief Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan, he emphasized the importance of the possibility of signing a peace treaty. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary of the UK also conveyed the same messages,” it reads.