Asbarez: UN Chief Prioritizes Peace Deal Over Release of Armenian Hostages

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a press conference in Yerevan on Oct. 15

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is in Yerevan to attend a COP17 Biodiversity Conference, prioritized the implementation of a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan when he was asked to comment about Baku’s refusal to free Armenian prisoners.

At a press conference ahead of the COP17 conference, Guterres was asked about the fate and plight of the 19 prisoners of war being held in Baku.

“I am a strong supporter of the peace agreement,” Guterres said. “I hope all the provisions set out in it will be implemented and that implementation will accelerate. I hope for more rapid progress so that we conclude the peace agreement and settle those outstanding issues.”

“We call on all parties to implement all provisions of the peace agreement as quickly as possible, which naturally also includes detained persons,” Guterres said, commenting on a lack of UN pressure on Baku.

When asked by News.am after the news conference whether the UN could take concrete steps to try to secure the prisoners’ release, he only said: “It’s a matter of great interest to us.”

The framework for peace that was finalized in Washington last year by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan does not contain a provision for Baku to free the Armenian hostages. This has been a point of contention for human rights activists, legal experts and opposition lawmakers who contend that peace would be difficult to come by when Armenians are being held captive in Baku.

During a presentation at the UCLA Promise Institute for Human Rights last month, Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights attorney who represents the Armenian captives at the European Court of Human Rights, said the proposed peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan is one of the few such accords that does not compel the release of hostages and POWs as a precondition for peace.