Public Radio of Armenia



Azerbaijan should deliver information on the number of Armenian POWs
and their health conditions – Portuguese MP



Azerbaijan is not only violating the trilateral Joint Statement, it is
also violating several major international conventions, Portugal’s
delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Paulo
Pisco said at the current-affairs debate on Armenian prisoners of war
and other captives.

“Maybe our colleagues from Azerbaijan may not like that we are holding
this discussion on Armenian prisoners of war today, but it is here in
this forum for peace and human rights that we should discuss and
insist that until all Armenian prisoners of war, military and
civilian, are released, and all other questions related to this issue
are fairly solved,” Mr. Pisco said.

He stressed that Azerbaijan is not fulfilling its part of the
agreement established in the joint statement signed by Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia to put an end to war.

“Paragraph 8 of this statement is very clear on the compromise assumed
by both parts to exchange all prisoners of war, hostages and other
detained persons including the carried out dead bodies. Armenia
accomplished its part of the agreement in releasing all prisoners.
Azerbaijan, after all this time, is remaining silent,” the lawmaker
said.

“Azerbaijan is not only violating the referred Joint Statement, it is
also violating several major international conventions. I only refer
to the Geneva Convention that provides a wide range of protection for
prisoners of war and the international humanitarian in law,” he added.

“It is of major importance that Azerbaijan delivers all relevant
information concerning the number of prisoners and their health
conditions. There are justified concerns that they were being
submitted to inhumane and degrading treatment, including the use of
torture as several humanitarian organizations have denounced,” Mr.
Pisco stated.

“It is our duty and our mission in the Council of Europe to do
everything we can to promote dialogue and help to restore peace
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, demanding full respect for
international law and humanitarian principles. We must appeal
therefore to the goodwill and to the good faith of Azerbaijan to
accomplish their objectives,” he concluded.