Russia calls on Azerbaijani to release the Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees without preconditions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow.
He said this signal has been sent to Azerbaijan on the presidential and other levels.
“This would be a landmark confidence-building measure that we are currently lacking, and of course, an important humanitarian step,” the Russian FM noted.
He said Russia will continue to insist on this position, but added that the final decision does not depend on them.
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He attached importance to implementation of any trust-building measure, including the handover by Armenia of landmine maps to Azerbaijan.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said, in turn, that Armenia has fulfilled the provision on exchange of PoWs according to “all for all” principle and expects Azerbaijan to release all Armenian detainees.
He said the return of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees would help build trust and create an atmosphere conducive to the discussion of a final settlement of all issues.
“Armenia sees the settlement of the conflict only through peace talks,” he added.
