POLITICAL EXPERT: US STATE DEPARTMENT’S CALLS TO SET FREE AZERI RAIDERS WILL RECEIVE NO RESPONSE

by Marianna Lazarian

Wednesday, February 25, 13:32

The US State Department’s calls to set free the Azeri raiders
prosecuted in Nagorno-Karabakh will receive no response, such an
opinion was expressed by the Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute
Sergey Minasyan, answering the question of Arminfo correspondent
during press conference in Yerevan.

“Since there have been no direct messages addressed to the
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, there will be no response. Those people
are not ordinary civilians or servicemen, they have committed a brutal
crime far from war sites in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and
must be punished according to the law of that country,” Minasyan said.

He said that the Azeris have distorted Nuland’s words about the
raiders. “In Yerevan she was no longer able to change the statements
she had made in Baku but she did not specify who her call was addressed
to. So, there will be no response,” Minasyan said.

On Feb 23 Spokesperson of the US State Department Jen Psaki called
on Armenia to give back the Azeri raiders.

The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities consider these calls unacceptable.

Spokesman of the NKR President David Babayan said that Guliyev
and Askerov have committed terrorist acts in the territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh. “Their trial was transparent and open for mass
media and NGOs. So, we must respect the court’s verdict,” Babayan said.

To recall, the Stepanakert General Court sentenced Askerov and Gulyev
to life imprisonment and 20 years in prison for illegal crossing of
the state border and committing sabotage attacks and vicious murders,
respectively.