News - FM: 23 Armenians still kept in custody in Azerbaijan

From the very first day of 2023, we already had a very specific situation: the illegal blockage of the Lachin corridor [by Azerbaijan]. And from the very first day, our efforts were aimed at raising awareness about the problem, to ensure international engagement, the objective of which should have been the lifting of illegal blockage. This was stated Friday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, during the discussions of the report on the progress and results of the 2023 implementation of the 2021-2026 program of the Armenian government at the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly. "A lot of work has been done in that direction, both bilaterally, with the expectation of having a possible influence in contacts with countries, and with international organizations—first of all, the UN," Mirzoyan added. Reflecting on the international assistance for the Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian FM said: "All the money promised at that time was not collected. But the office of the [Armenian] Deputy Prime Minister knows more about the efforts and work done in that direction." And speaking on humanitarian issues, Mirzoyan recalled that on December 7, 2023, there was a joint statement between the offices of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as a result of which 32 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and two Azerbaijani POWs were released. "As of now, 23 [Armenian] people are still kept in custody in [the Azerbaijani capital of] Baku; the work on their release is ongoing," the Armenian FM added.