PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has confirmed holding 38 Armenian soldiers in captivity, but the Armenian side believes that there are 26 more servicemen among the captives, Yerevan's ambassador to Kiev Vladimir Karapetyan has said.
The ambassador noted that there was an agreement at the highest level that the exchange of prisoners would be based on the "all for all" principle. He said the Armenian side handed over all the prisoners, even criminals who were convicted under completely different articles, including murder.
According to the ambassador, the Armenian side has relevant documentary evidence, video recordings, as well as testimonies from former prisoners who have already returned to Armenia.
Karapetyan added that the Azerbaijani side released a part of the Armenian captives in exchange for the mine-field maps. "As a manifestation of goodwill, the leadership of Armenia handed over the maps of minefields that we had at our disposal since the 90s, from the years of the first Karabakh war," the ambassador explained.
The diplomat emphasized that the maps have significantly reduced the number of mine-related deaths.
"Despite the fact that Azerbaijan has publicly and repeatedly complained about some inaccuracies in said maps, the number of explosions has decreased significantly since we transferred them, and there have been only one or two deaths. Our maps are quite accurate," Karapetyan added.
