The resolution of humanitarian issues, such as the return of Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan, could become a precondition for signing a peace document in the event of Yerevan’s constructive approach to negotiations with Baku. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Sputnik Armenia by the representative of Armenian prisoners of war in the European Court of Human Rights, lawyer Siranush Sahakyan.

She also added that she considers the approach according to which negotiations are conducted according to the logic that the issue of prisoners will be resolved only after the signing of a peace document to be unacceptable and leading to failure.

At a press conference on July 16, when Sputnik Armenia asked whether there was a refusal to send a letter to US President Donald Trump on the issue of Armenian prisoners of war, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not give a direct answer, stating that there are no negotiations where the issue of prisoners of war would not be given due attention. Commenting on the report of the Hraparak newspaper that Pashinyan rejected the offer to ask Trump to intervene in the process of returning Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, Sahakyan confirmed that the idea of ​​appealing to the US President on the issue of returning Armenian prisoners of war from Baku, in particular Ruben Vardanyan, was put forward by his international lawyer Jared Genser.

First of all, such a letter on behalf of the executive power of the country is extremely important in order to involve the US President in solving this problem, Sahakyan believes.

“Ruben Vardanyan’s international lawyer, who works in the United States and is well aware of the realities, voiced the point of view that the issue of returning Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku can be resolved by the US President. He publicly expressed the opinion, that it would be desirable for Pashinyan to privately or publicly write a letter to President Trump asking for direct participation in the return of Armenian prisoners of war,” Sahakyan said.

She also added that the problem of returning Armenian prisoners of war, if there is desire and will, is solvable, including through the efforts of the American government and President Donald Trump.

According to the lawyer, from a diplomatic point of view, the actions of the authorities can serve as a very important message, since without the participation of the state, the seriousness of the problem is perceived somewhat differently by different states and international partners.

Although the lawyers of the Armenian prisoners of war have formed expectations that Prime Minister Pashinyan will publicly send a message Trump, the team of Armenian lawyers has no evidence that such a letter, even an open one, was actually sent to the American president. This gave the press a reason to write that Pashinyan refused Genser’s offer.

As for the possibilities of the American side, Sahakyan does not rule out that Trump can offer Aliyev “a deal that is impossible to refuse,” which will allow the problem to be resolved in the shortest possible time.

At the same time, the lawyer does not rule out the possibility of other geopolitical poles participating in resolving the issue of Armenian prisoners.

“Both Russia and the EU could participate in resolving the problem. But since the issue is being discussed in the context of the United States, I believe it is more realistic to resolve this issue with the participation of the United States,” the lawyer notes.

At the same time, from Sahakyan’s point of view, Armenia should raise the issue of returning prisoners not only in bilateral relations, but also at various international venues in order to put pressure on Azerbaijan.

“For example, in the context of bilateral relations, Yerevan should seek Washington’s support on the issue of returning prisoners. From the point of view of Armenia-Europe cooperation, it would be possible to focus on imposing sanctions against Azerbaijan in the event of non-return of Armenian prisoners. Or to focus on using the international criminal platform. Without all this, efforts to return prisoners of war cannot be called either strategic or comprehensive, since they are rather local, protocol-based in bilateral negotiations,” our interlocutor concluded.

Earlier MPs from the ruling party of Armenia did not support the proposal of opposition MP from the “Armenia” faction Lilit Galstyan in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to send a monitoring mission to the trials of captured Armenians in Baku.