MEPs urge Azerbaijan to release remaining Armenian prisoners

Members of the European Parliament have called on Azerbaijan to release all remaining Armenian prisoners held under its control, describing the move as an important step toward sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

In a joint statement, MEPs, including Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights Mounir Satouri, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus Nils Ušakovs, and Permanent Rapporteurs on Armenia and Azerbaijan Miriam Lexmann and Dan Barna, expressed concern over the February 5 verdict of the Baku Military Court concerning Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.

The MEPs warned that the verdicts, which also include five life sentences,  could undermine the fragile yet positive atmosphere of peace currently taking shape in the South Caucasus.

According to an Armenpress correspondent in Brussels, they stresses that they come at a sensitive moment, when signs of growing trust in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations have been observed over the past year.

The statement recalled that on August 8, 2025, the parties announced progress in Washington and initialed the text of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It also noted the release of four Armenians in January 2026 who had been held captive in Azerbaijan since 2020 and 2023, and  the transit of cargo from Azerbaijani territory to Armenia.

The authors further highlighted the symbolic significance of the fact that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan were awarded the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2026 for their consistent efforts to promote peace.

In this context, the MEPs urged Azerbaijan to build on the current positive momentum and release all Armenian prisoners, calling it a meaningful gesture of goodwill and a further step toward lasting peace in the South Caucasus.