Azerbaijan and Armenia exchange prisoners of war

Today, at about 3:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Moscow time), on the troops contact line of the Karabakh conflict in the Agdam District of Azerbaijan, the parties to the conflict have exchanged recent detainees-prisoners of war.

As reported by the Baku representative office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), soldier Anar Gadjiev, captured on May 10, 2009, was handed over to the Azerbaijani party.

The latter, in its turn, delivered a citizen of Armenia Arthur Badalyan to its Armenian counterpart.

The exchange took place under the mediation of the ICRC within the framework of the agreements reached at the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in Sochi on March 5.

As reported by Shain Sailov, Secretary of the State Commission of Azerbaijan on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, earlier 3 Armenian servicemen - Grant Markosyan, Rafik Tevosyan and Vartan Sarkisyan, - who voluntarily passed over to the Azerbaijani party in February 2009, were sent to third countries on their will.

However, according to international practice, these countries were not disclosed.

According to Mr Sailov, after today's exchange Azerbaijan still keeps three Armenian soldiers and 5 civilians from one family. In the beginning of 2010, the latter voluntarily moved from Armenia to the territory of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

Armenia still keeps Junior Sergeant of the National Army of Azerbaijan Roman Guseinov, who was captured on August 27, 2010.