Pashinyan says repatriation of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan remains priority

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the repatriation of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan will remain on the government’s agenda until the issue is resolved.

“The release and return of Armenian citizens held in detention in Azerbaijan has never left and will not leave the Armenian government’s working agenda until the issue is resolved,” the prime minister said in parliament while presenting the government’s five-year program.

He said the delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan will also continue.

“I am confident that alongside imports from Azerbaijan to Armenia, exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan will soon begin. The launch and development of trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan, of course, significantly strengthens the established peace, and we will encourage our businesses to work in this direction,” Pashinyan said.

According to the prime minister, important areas for developing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan include establishing and deepening trade and economic ties, delimiting the borders, cooperation on issues concerning prisoners and missing persons, and unblocking regional communications.

“Even beyond the signing of the peace agreement, the socio-psychological aspect of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is very important. And to make the established peace lasting, it is important to establish peace at the socio-psychological level,” the prime minister said, adding that both Armenia and Azerbaijan must confront and come to terms with the fact that the territory of independent Armenia is identical to the territory of Soviet Armenia, and the territory of independent Azerbaijan is identical to the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan—no more, no less.