Another exchange of prisoners took place between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as a result of which two Azerbaijanis were taken to Baku and four Armenians were taken to Yerevan, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, told reporters on Monday.
"Another exchange of prisoners was carried out today in order to implement the trilateral statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020. As a result of the work carried out by the Russian peacekeepers under my personal supervision, two Azerbaijanis who were in captivity were delivered to Baku by the airplane of the Russian Air Force and four prisoners were returned to Erebuni," Muradov said.
He stressed that "Russian peacekeepers will continue to promote the strict fulfillment of the trilateral agreement".
On Monday, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said four Armenian prisoners were returned to their homeland with the mediation of Russia and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On December 15, Russia mediated the return of 44 prisoners from Azerbaijan to Armenia. On the same day, 12 Azerbaijani prisoners of war returned to Azerbaijan.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on the full cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the agreements, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stop at their occupied positions, and Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the region. Furthermore, the districts of Agdam, Kelbajar and Lachin were returned to Azerbaijani control. According to this statement, parts of the Martuni, Martakert and Askeran districts, the city of Shushi and almost the entire Hadrut district, which were part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast during the Soviet era, are transferred to the Azerbaijani side.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Alexander Ryumin / TASS
Based on materials from TASS