Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan: Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents reconfirmed their faithfulness to Geneva Convention
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YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS: During the Astrakhan meeting the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents reconfirmed their faithfulness to the commitments assumed by Geneva Convention, political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said today at a meeting with journalist, adding that this was done after activation of the Azerbaijani party in the Karabakhi-Azerbaijani contact line and diversion activities were noticed in the recent period.
Referring to the issue on exchange of captives, the political analyst noted that many Azerbaijani run away from the own army because of non-regulation relations, and when they are returned from the Armenian party, are condemned to sentence of 10-15 years in Azerbaijan, which is inhuman. “It will be right if we follow the will of people who surrender voluntarily,” Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan pointed out.
In regard to exchange of bodies of captives, the political analyst noted that only the body of Manvel Saribekyan is today in the territory of Azerbaijan, and in the territories under the control of Armenian forces there are bodies of 2 Azerbaijani. “I imagine this process with difficulty, as mechanisms of their implementation have not been worked out yet,” Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said.
Political analyst Levon Shirinyan said that the exchange of captives is a humanitarian step, and it must be welcomed, but taken into consideration that Azerbaijan is an artificially-shaped Turkish state, and giving promise and breaking it is typical of the Turkish political culture.