We strongly condemn the initiation of prosecution of the Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan, as stated by the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan. These actions of the Azerbaijani authorities are a gross violation of international humanitarian law. During the 44-day Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, the Azerbaijani side extensively and systematically violated international law by committing war crimes. These war crimes have no statute of limitations, and the perpetrators should be held accountable.

The release and repatriation of the prisoners of war is clearly enshrined in the November 9 statement, and the prosecution of the prisoners of war after the adaptation of the trilateral statement constitutes its gross violation.

It should be noted that the Armenian servicemen were captured as a result of the violation of another provision of the trilateral statement: Azerbaijan launched military operations in the direction of the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher in the Hadrut region of the Republic of Artsakh a month after the establishment of the ceasefire. Notably the Azerbaijani side announced the prosecution of POWs about a month after the capturing of Armenian servicemen, which demonstrates that Azerbaijan is using Armenian prisoners of war as hostages to advance its political agenda.

The consistent and deliberate violations of the trilateral statement by Azerbaijan seriously undermine the full implementation of the statement, and poses new challenges for regional security and peace.