Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia and Azerbaijan begin first exchange of prisoners

Armenian soldiers along the road near the border between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, Sunday, November 8, 2020. AP Photo

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

A fragile hope for a political settlement appears around Nagorno-Karabakh.

By releasing each of the prisoners, Baku and Yerevan are showing concrete signs of goodwill.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Baku

,

Emmanuel Grynszpan

34 days after the end of the fighting, we are witnessing the first signs of reconciliation between

Armenia

and Azerbaijan.

On Monday evening, prisoners of war were exchanged on an all-for-all basis. 

44 Armenian prisoners were able to return home against 14 Azerbaijanis.

Russian peacekeepers acted as the go-between, and the prisoners crossed borders by air on Russian planes.

But big doubts persist about the all-against-all formula.

An Armenian official claims Azerbaijan held

100 prisoners in early December

.

In addition, a large number of soldiers are still missing, especially on the Armenian side, because many soldiers disappeared when Yerevan's troops retreated in the face of the Azerbaijani offensive.

On the other hand, a humanitarian source in Baku confirmed to RFI on Tuesday that the list of prisoners of war would grow even longer because

an Armenian pocket

was taken over this weekend by the Azerbaijani army.

Meanwhile, Baku announced on Monday the arrest of four Azerbaijani soldiers, two accused of "

 insulting the bodies of Armenian soldiers who died during the hostilities 

" and the two others of " 

destroying tombstones belonging to Armenians in a cemetery

 ”located in the area where the fighting was taking place.

An investigation was opened and the Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office denounced acts "

 unacceptable and contrary to the mentality of the Azerbaijani people

 ".

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Armenia

  • Azerbaijan

  • Nagorno-Karabakh

On the same subject

Armenia: thousands of demonstrators in Yerevan demand the resignation of Pachinian

Reportage

Nagorno-Karabakh refugees stuck in Yerevan with no prospect

Erdogan visits Baku to celebrate Azerbaijani victory in Nagorno-Karabakh