Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

True to its aggressive and belligerent nature, Armenia continues its vicious campaign against Azerbaijan, hoping to draw Baku in and force its officials to retaliate. To do so, Yerevan has played dangerous mind games, using Azerbaijani hostages to dirt already murky diplomatic waters in between the two countries.

Following the illegal imprisonment of two Azerbaijani captives, on March 10, a bogus "court of appeal" in Azerbaijan's occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region rejected an appeal registered against the court of first instance and ruled that both Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev should remain in custody.

Three Azerbaijanis - Hasan Hasanov, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev - were captured in the Shaplar village of Azerbaijan’s occupied Kalbajar district on July 11, 2014 by the Armenian special forces.

Hasanov was reported killed after enduring brutal torture. Asgarov and Guliyev were judged in a show trial in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and subsequently sentenced to life in prison and 22 years imprisonment respectively on trump up charges.

Reacting on Armenia's decision in regards to the hostages, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry called on Yerevan to end its provocations as it stood only to trigger further gross violations of international humanitarian law and to immediately release the two Azerbaijani nationals.

Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Hikmet Hajiyev said the show trial held in Karabakh for Asgarov and Guliyev had no legal basis, adding that the adopted “decisions” severely contradicted the legal norms.

"Armenia should realize that the Geneva Conventions unequivocally prohibits taking civilians hostages," Hajiyev added.

Moreover, under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, taking hostages constitutes a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts.

“Asgarov and Guliyev have been endured physical tortures, while they have also undergone moral and psychological torture in the wake of counterfeit "trial"”, Hajiyev said.

"Armenia’s irresponsible actions once again prove its arrogant rejection of all legal responsibilities it took upon under international humanitarian law and the basic principles of humanism," he added.

Hajiyev believes that Armenia is also turning down calls from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the international community to release the civilian hostages.

The Foreign Ministry will keep seriously in touch with the international community, particularly with the OSCE Minsk Group in light of the handover of Asgarov and Guliyev to Baku.

Meanwhile, as a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group, the U.S. once again voiced its official stance in regard to the civilian Azerbaijani hostages through its ambassador to Baku.

Ambassador Robert Cekuta said the release of Azerbaijanis imprisoned in Nagorno-Karabakh would be a humanitarian gesture acting as a very good step forward in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory has become a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of Armenia's armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenia's occupation. Nonetheless, the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict amid Armenia's persistent derailment on peace talks.

Cekuta has also recalled U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland's same address in Yerevan last month, when she urged the Armenian authorities and all relevant bodies to return the captives back to Baku.

"I know all are working very hard to achieve a breakthrough in the settlement of the conflict in Karabakh. We are keeping on our efforts to find a solution in parallel the development of a framework for peaceful resolution to this conflict," Cekuta added.

The U.S. and Russia, co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, a mediator structure involved in the conflict's resolution, have consecutively revealed their advocacy for the release of the Azerbaijani hostages.

Commenting on a distrust towards the Minsk Group's involvement in peace talks, Cekuta said he had tight relations with American Co-Chair, James Warlick, who jointly with the other middlemen take appropriate efforts to reach a peaceful solution for the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"However, Armenia and Azerbaijan also bear responsibilities for seeking a way to regulate the conflict. We, as the co-chairs of Minks Group, continue involving in this process," Cekuta said.

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