Armenian troops should withdraw from Azerbaijani lands, says Armenian soldier

/By AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Armenian soldiers should withdraw from Azerbaijani lands and the Armenian authorities should release all Azerbaijani hostages, a captive Armenian saboteur said.

In the first preliminary court hearing, Arsen Bagdasaryan, an Armenian hostage, called on the Armenian authorities to free the occupied Azerbaijani lands.

"Azerbaijanis hold good relations with Armenians for many years. Armenia should free Azerbaijan's lands. Azerbaijan doesn't want a war, it demands its historical lands to be freed," he said.

Bagdasaryan, a member of an Armenian saboteur group, was captured by Azerbaijani servicemen in Aghdam district, as he crossed the Armenia-Azerbaijan contact line in a provocative move, on December 26, 2014. After being taken hostage, he was subsequently handed over to the law enforcement bodies in Azerbaijan to be charged for the crimes he committed.

A criminal case against the Armenian saboteur was filed upon articles 29,120.2.7, 29,120.2.12 and 29,282.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code.

Bagdasaryan believes that the Armenian troops should leave the occupied lands since those lands belong historically and legally to Azerbaijan. "Our soldiers should leave the Azerbaijani lands and the authorities should immediately handover the Azerbaijani hostages," he said.

As for the conditions of detention, Bagdasaryan expressed his satisfaction with the good treatment he received, and the timely provision of food and clothing.

"I thank Azerbaijani president for such humane treatment. No one forced me to make this address, I am expressing myself freely," he said.

An earlier preliminary hearing on the criminal case of the Armenian saboteur and scout was held in a session closed to the public on April 7.

Bagdasaryan was provided with translators and an attorney, in keeping with international law principles.

Bagdasaryan's volunteer confessions and his calls were in now way contrived. It is important to note that his comments are actually a reflection of the truth.

Almost all Armenian soldiers in captivity have pointed accusing finger at Yerevan for demonizing Baku and making the Azerbaijani people out to be ruthless monsters, when the real evil is in Armenia.

Andranik Grigoryan, an Armenian conscript who voluntarily surrendered to Azerbaijani troops in March, addressed the same anarchy in the army, saying a deep disorder ruled over Armenia's military.

Both Bagdasaryan and Grigoryan acknowledged the same abuses and propaganda towards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, concluding that "Armenian soldiers should leave the occupied lands and stop serving for the personal interests of the authorities".

Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory has become a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of Armenia's armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenia's occupation. Although the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict Armenia has remained persistent in its aggressive stance.