Azerbaijan urged international organizations Thursday to launch an investigation into videos posted on social media showing the torture of Azerbaijani prisoners of war by Armenians as tensions between the two neighbors are once again high.
"A few days ago, in the Shahbuz region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic along the border with Armenia, soldiers of the Azerbaijani army who went missing due to limited visibility caused by bad weather conditions – Babirov Agshin Gabil, born in 2004, and Akhundov Huseyn Ahliman, born in 2003 – were captured by Armenia," said a statement by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.
The statement said that cases of "physical torture" and "inhumane treatment" against Ahliman were depicted in one of the videos circulating on social media networks.
It noted that relevant international organizations have been informed about the situation, saying it is another example of "violence on ethnic grounds by Armenia."
"The said violence demonstrated by Armenia against prisoners is a gross violation by Armenia of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and other international obligations arising from international humanitarian and human rights law," the statement said.
It said that relevant international organizations should investigate and "properly evaluate" the matter, including "the violence committed by Armenia against Azerbaijani prisoners of war and civilian prisoners and 3,890 missing Azerbaijanis over the past 30 years."
Meanwhile, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on the same day that Armenia's continued claims against its territorial integrity and sovereignty are a "serious violation" of the Prague and Sochi agreements of October 2022.
"Armenia's continued claims against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty and its failure to withdraw its forces from these territories is a clear example of a serious violation of the Prague and Sochi agreements and Armenia's lack of interest in the peace process," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's comments in a speech to his country's parliament earlier in the day, where he blamed Azerbaijan for the latest "provocation" in Lachin and accused Baku of violating its commitments under the framework of the Prague and Sochi meetings, were "completely groundless and unacceptable."
It said Pashinian's idea of using the 1991 borderline as "a basis for delimitation" regarding a statement by the European Union on Wednesday contained several "biased points," noting that the villages of Karki and Baghanis Ayrum were occupied by Yerevan in 1990 as a result of its policy against Azerbaijan.
"At the same time, it is known that contrary to the tripartite statement, Armenia still does not withdraw its armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan and keeps eight Azerbaijani villages under occupation. In this regard, the prime minister should first clarify what is meant by the 1991 borders," the statement said.
It also said that Armenia continues to "distort" the decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the Lachin road on Feb. 23 rather than giving a positive response to Baku's proposal to establish a border checkpoint at the beginning of the road.
"Instead of making baseless statements, we demand that the Armenian side return to the negotiations on the peace agreement, which they refused since December last year, open communications, comply with the obligations arising from the tripartite declaration, including the complete withdrawal of its forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, and refrain from taking steps against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," it added.
In the most recent rise in tensions between Baku and Yerevan, three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed Tuesday during an attack by Armenian forces in the Lachin district of the East Zangezur region.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian Army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements. During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that Armenia had occupied for almost 30 years.
The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia. However, the cease-fire has been violated several times since then.
