PM Pashinyan says extradition of Syrian convicts unrelated to release of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan

Armenia’s extradition of two Syrian convicts was unrelated to the return of four Armenian captives from Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said when asked about the matter.

“These two events are not connected. We want to, and are working on, further developing our relations with the Syrian Arab Republic. We hope that this decision, which is a friendly one toward Syria, will also create a more favorable environment for Syria’s Armenian community," said the Prime Minister.

On January 14, Azerbaijan released four of the 23 confirmed Armenian captives. They were handed over to Armenia and transported to Yerevan.

On the same day, Armenia announced that it is extraditing two Syrian citizens sentenced to life imprisonment for mercenary activity and international terrorism. The two Syrians were captured by Armenian forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. They confessed to having been recruited and hired as mercenaries to fight on Azerbaijan’s side against Armenians in Karabakh.