ArmInfo.Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Armenia, did not respond the question of whether the return of Armenian prisoners is a prerequisite for Armenia's participation in the UN Climate Conference (COP29).
Thus, on October 30, during a conversation with reporters in the country's parliament, Harutyunyan clarified whether Armenia plans to participate in COP29, assuring that this decision will be influenced by several factors, including those related to the conclusion of a peace treaty. When asked by journalists if Armenia had made the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan a precondition for its participation in COP29, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff gave a vague answer, only stating that he did not believe it is productive to impose conditions in the negotiation process.
When journalists asked if Armenia would make new concessions to achieve the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, Harutyunyan emphasized the importance of mutual concessions in any agreement. He added that unilateral concessions could be fruitless. However, he did not specify the concessions Armenia expects from Azerbaijan, as the latter has not backed down from its demands in the negotiation process on any issue so far.
When asked if Armenia would follow Azerbaijan's lead in changing the country's main law, as the Azerbaijani authorities are insisting on, Harutyunyan noted that Armenia has certain so-called "red lines", but did not elaborate on what he meant by that. Speaking about the possibility of international actors pressuring Baku to sign a peace treaty with Yerevan, the head of the Prime Minister's Office admitted that each superpower pursues its own goals and benefits in various issues. "It is important that Armenia can effectively advocate for its own interests in this context," Harutyunyan concluded.
It is noteworthy that today, an Armenian newspaper reported, citing its sources in the ruling power, that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan intends to participate in the UN summit in Baku, even if the Azerbaijani authorities do not release Armenian prisoners of war. Previously, he had stated that he would only go to Baku if the Armenian prisoners of war were released.
Note that the same newspaper recently reported that during the Kazan meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev asked Nikol Pashinyan why he had not brought up the issue of returning the military-political leadership of Artsakh, including State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Pashinyan's response was: "Because you won't release them anyway." In fact, the vague responses from the head of the Prime Minister's office in Armenia and leaks published in an Armenian newspaper suggest that the Armenian authorities are not very concerned about the fate of Armenians, who are citizens of the Republic of Armenia, held in Azerbaijani prisons. They do not appear to be bringing up this issue again.
