Refusal of Russian PACE delegates to discuss POWs' return angers residents of Armenia

Some Russian delegates voted against discussing the issue of returning Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) from Azerbaijan, the rest of them have abstained. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) must react to this decision, residents of Armenia have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Arman Tatoyan, the Armenian Ombudsperson, blamed Azerbaijani authorities of deliberately protracting the release of Armenian POWs.

On April 19, at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Armenian delegation raised the issue of Armenian POWs and the destruction of Armenian monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The only country that has unanimously supported Azerbaijan and Turkey was, of course, Russia. Not a single vote in favour of considering the issue of Armenian POWs," Karen Agekyan, a Facebook user, has written.

Azerbaijan continues holding over 200 Armenian POWs and civilians, Edmon Marukyan, the head of the "Enlightened Armenia" parliamentary faction, believes.

Naira Zograbyan, an MP from the "Prosperous Armenia", has called on PACE to send a mission to the dwelling settlements that came under Azerbaijan's control. In her Facebook, she expressed outrage over the destruction of Armenian monuments in Karabakh. In particular, according to her story, after the ceasefire signing, the monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the "Kanach Zham" Church in Shusha were desecrated; and during the war, the "Khazanchetsots" Church was bombed twice. The church in Makhakavan has disappeared.