Armen Ashotyan, RPA vice-chairman, writes:
"It became known that the US vice president will visit not only Armenia, but also Azerbaijan in February. At this moment, I put aside the asymmetry of the agendas of the upcoming visits to Yerevan and Baku, although this is also the result of a failed foreign policy.
I think it is necessary to maximize the Armenian potential and raise a question about the release of our prisoners of war held in Baku and the military-political leadership of Artsakh during that visit. The special envoy of the US president managed to free several dozen Belarusian political prisoners in Minsk months ago. The same scenario is possible for both Aliyev and Pashinyan.
The protection of the rights of Christian Armenians in Azerbaijan, and at least lay ministers in Armenia, fits both Vance's personal worldview and the worldview of the Trump administration.
It remains for us, in Armenia and the Diaspora, to work purposefully in this direction. I am confident that we can capitalize on Vance's visit in the form of freedom for our compatriots."
