Vice-President JD Vance reportedly discussed the issue of the release of “prisoners” during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
“President Aliyev and Vice President Vance discussed the next steps in President Trump’s initiative to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They focused on trade and prosperity, technology, and diplomatic ties, and also spoke about the next steps, including the signing of agreements and permits for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), as well as confidence-building measures such as the release of prisoners, American investments, and regional economic integration,” a spokesperson said, according to Azatutyun.am.
However, there was no clarification about the release of which “prisoners” the statement referred, since many in the U.S. were also calling for Azerbaijan to release political dissidents and journalists who have been imprisoned by the Aliyev regime.
Vice-President JD Vance meets with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Baku on Feb. 10
Similarly, in a vague statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the issue of Armenians who are illegally being held captive by Azerbaijan was discussed with Vance during their meetings in Yerevan.
“Yesterday, most of the statements by the U.S. Vice President were centered on ecomin issues rather than political ones, which means that the August 8 effort has succeeded,” Pashinyan said in an interview with the state run Public Television of Armenia on Tuesday, referring to the agreements he and Aliyev reached in the White House last year.
“We did not discuss the border situation or regional tensions, which means that there are no such issues on the agenda. Of course, issues related to the conflict or post-conflict situation remain on the agenda and are discussed in all cases — in particular, the issue of our compatriots held in Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan noted.
Pashinyan emphasized that the issue of Armenians held in Baku had already been raised on August 8 during Armenia–United States discussions. Perhaps what Pashinyan was referring to was a brief video clip that emerged from his meeting with Trump back in August. In that video Trump is seen asking Pashinyan if he would like him to discuss the release of prisoners with Aliyev—on a personal level—to which the prime minister gives a tacit agreement, before the video is cut off.
“The issue was on the agenda and was discussed. In practice, there are no relevant negotiations during which we do not address this issue,” Pashinyan said.
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