Azernews.Az

By Vafa Ismayilova

Baku's handover of 10 Armenian detainees back to Yerevan has been welcomed internationally as an important gesture to tackle humanitarian issues between the sides.

In his official Twitter account, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington welcomed Azerbaijan's step.

"We welcome Azerbaijan's release of 10 Armenian detainees on December 19 with EU support," he wrote.

Meanwhile, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Toivo Klaar shared a similar position.

"Happy to have been able to repatriate 10 Armenian servicemen. Important gesture by Azerbaijan in the process of addressing humanitarian issues.

The European Union will continue to work with both countries to build on the successful meetings of European Council President Charles Michel with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Klaar said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the move.

"Ten Armenian soldiers were released. I want to salute the decisive action of the European Union, with which we will continue to promote this path of dialogue towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We are going forward," he wrote.

As a result of the trilateral meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan, which took place on December 14 in Brussels at the initiative of Charles Michel, as well as a bilateral meeting between Aliyev and Michel, through the EU mediation Azerbaijan handed over to Armenia 10 Armenian servicemen on December 19.

The transferred persons were detained on November 16, 2021 while preventing a provocation by the Armenian armed forces near Kalbajar region on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.

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