The Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) being held in Azerbaijan in the wake of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) remain a key concern after the signing of the November 10 ceasefire, says Grigory Trofimchuk, a Moscow-based expert specializing in regional and international affairs.
According to him the document does not stipulate clear-cut procedures for those persons’ repatriation after the cessation of hostilities.
In an interview with Tert.am, Trofimchuk highlighted also the absence of a specifically defined timetable and map for the unblocking of regional communications.
“Yerevan and Baku hold contrary positions on different issues, with Russia remaining in the middle,” he said, commenting on the Russian representatives’ somewhat strange behaviour at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
At the latest plenary session in Strasbourg, none of the Russian delegation members backed the proposal for the Armenian POWs’ return, with most voting “against” and the rest abstaining from the process.
“Moscow may not be totally content with [Armenian Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinyan’s behaviour after November 10, as he continues adhering to his preferred ‘unpredictable style’ as though nothing had happened,” Trofimchuk explained.
He also pointed out to other concerns, including the operation of US-funded biological labs on the territory of Armenia. “Those laboratories receive funding not only from the United States but from Pentagon proper. Moreover, those laboratories are functioning against the backdrop of the seemingly endless quarantine in Armenia, arousing a natural suspicion as to whether they have anything to do with the replication of the COVID-19 strains. I don’t say those details could have been the cause of such a vote at the PACE but they may potentially create a negative background,” he added.
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