Simonyan: Issue of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan not included in draft peace agreement

The issue of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan has not been included in the draft peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku, Azernews reports, citing the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonyan, informed journalists about this.

In response to a question about whether Armenia could raise the issue of their repatriation as a condition for participating in the COP29 climate summit in Baku in November, Simonyan said it was premature to make comments on such discussions at this time.

It should be noted that over the years, Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office has initiated criminal cases against 15 Karabakh separatists, including Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, all former "presidents" of the former de facto regime in Karabakh, as well as former "foreign minister" David Babayan, "parliament speaker" David Ishkhanyan, generals Levon Mnatsakanyan and David Manukyan, and former "state minister" Ruben Vardanyan. They have been placed on international wanted lists.

In September 2023, following a local anti-terrorist operation, these separatists were detained, brought to Baku, and handed over to the investigation. They have been charged with terrorism, financing terrorism, creating illegal armed groups, and conducting training with the intention of committing terrorist acts. In June of this year, Baku announced that the investigation into their case had been completed.