"Zhoghovurd" daily writes: "The regional visit of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, during which she visited Azerbaijan on July 1 of this year, and Armenia the next day, was officially presented as an important stage aimed at deepening cooperation, economic ties, regional communications and Armenia-EU relations.
However, in the case of such high-level meetings, there are usually such sensitive issues on the agenda that are not reflected in official messages. For this reason, "Zhoghovurd" daily newspaper sent a request to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to find out whether during the meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, the results of the discussions with the Azerbaijani leadership in Baku, as well as the possible practical steps of the European Union towards the release of the prisoners were discussed.
During the meeting between you and Ursula von der Leyen, was the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan and other illegally imprisoned persons discussed? What was the position or response received from the Azerbaijani side?
Has there been a reference to the public and non-public information regarding the inhumane treatment of Armenian prisoners, torture, violations of their rights and possible violations of international humanitarian law? Have the possible practical steps by the European Union or other international structures been discussed, aimed at the immediate release of Armenian prisoners, the protection of their rights and the international legal assessment of the possible crimes committed against them in Azerbaijan? with partners in the direction of the return of Armenian prisoners, and what role has the European Union assumed or is going to assume in this process?
However, the answer received from the RA government staff actually bypassed the content of the questions. The answer states: "In response to your request, we inform you that the necessary information to be published regarding the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Armenia has been provided."
At the same time, we inform you that the prime minister has repeatedly stated that the issue of prisoners is in the center of his daily attention, and necessary work is being done in that direction.
Thus, the government did not answer whether the issue of prisoners was discussed during the meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, what did the president of the European Commission convey after the negotiations in Baku, or what kind of agreements were reached in that direction? What was said in the official reports? According to the press release of the Prime Minister's office on those days, during the private conversation between Nikol Pashinyan and Ursula von der Leyen and the extended negotiations, Armenia-European Union partnership was discussed. deepening, democratic reforms, economic cooperation, the "Global Gateway" initiative, investment programs, as well as the peace agenda and regional stability. At the end of the meeting, the parties also talked about EU financial support, trade cooperation and expansion of infrastructure projects.
In turn, Ursula von der Leyen announced in Yerevan: "Armenia continues the path of democratic reforms and is getting closer to Europe." I am here with a simple message: Armenia can count on us." He also emphasized that the European Union will continue to support Armenia's democratic development, economic resilience, and the peace process. As for the prisoners, silence.
It is noteworthy that neither the Armenian government, nor the European Commission, nor the joint statements of Ursula von der Leyen and Ilham Aliyev in Baku, made any public statement regarding the return of Armenian prisoners, illegally detained persons or the protection of their rights.
The official statements published in the capital of Azerbaijan focused on energy cooperation, transport and digital connections, as well as regional communications. As a result, the government did not actually give a direct answer to any of the five questions raised by "Zhoghovurd", limiting itself to the already published information that the issue is the prime minister's daily focus. And we know what it means to be in the prime minister's daily attention. for example, the issue of dispossessing Gagik Tsarukyan, yes, is in the prime minister's daily attention, and the process is proceeding at full speed, but everyone has long forgotten about the issue of prisoners."
Details in today's issue of "Zhoghovurd" daily.
