Lavrov: All humanitarian issues, including return of POWs, must be resolved urgently

Panorama, Armenia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for urgent measures to resolve all humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), including the repatriation of prisoners of war (POWs).

"All humanitarian issues must be resolved as quickly as possible and without preconditions," Lavrov told a joint news conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku on Tuesday, referring to the issue of minefield maps.

"This includes the return of the victims’ remains, the ascertainment of the fate of missing persons, the return of prisoners of war and the settlement of problems associated with remnants of the war,” the Russian diplomat stressed.

Lavrov said the issue was discussed in Yerevan a few days ago, adding the Armenian side has an understanding of the need to solve this issue and preliminary steps have been taken. He expressed hope that the issue will be resolved completely.