ARMENIAN STATE COMMISSION REP.: STATEMENTS ON ‘UNWILLINGNESS’ OF ARMENIAN SOLDIER TO RETURN TO ARMENIA RESULT OF ‘ACTIVITY’ OF AZERBAIJANI SPECIAL SERVICES

ArmInfo
2009-01-14 13:24:00

ArmInfo. Statements on ‘unwillingness’ of the Armenian soldier Paruyr
Simonyan to return to Armenia are the result of the ‘activity’ of the
Azerbaijani special services, Andranik Mkrtumyan, Colonel, Head of
the Armenian Armed Forces General Staff Operative Department Frontier
Representation Office, told ArmInfo. P. Simonyan was taken hostage
on 25 May 2008. Azerbaijani party reported that the soldier allegedly
refuses returning to Armenia. ‘We have received no single letter from
Paruyr over that period of time, just oral messages. We are sure by
100 percent that his ‘unwillingness’ to return is nothing but the
influence by Azerbaijani special services’, A. Mkrtumyan said. He
mentioned that last year the Azerbaijani party again took similar
measures regarding another Armenian soldier Hambartsoum Asatryan. ‘It
is their practice. Every time they hostage an Armenian soldier they
declare that he refuses to return. These are also attempts to recoup
for Samir Mamedov’, he said. S. Mamedov, an Azerbaijani soldier,
deserted to the Armenian party and refused to return to Azerbaijan.

He was deported to a third country with help of an authoritative
international organization.

As regarding the mess in the Azerbaijani press in connection with
the interview with Azerbaijani soldier Rafig Hasanov, who deserted to
the Armenian party on 8 October 2008, A. Mkrtumyan said that Hasanov
deserted to the Armenian party voluntarily in daytime. ‘The interview
with Hasanov was held at his request. He told what he thought and
felt’, A. Mkrtumyan said.