Armenia seeks third-country consular assistance for captives

According to publicly available information, Armenia has approached a third country to provide consular assistance to its citizens in Baku, international law expert Siranush Sahakyan said, noting that the organization she heads has also raised the issue in writing.

Sahakyan said a response had been expected by the end of August but has not yet been received, Factor.am reports.

“We have no official response confirming that the Republic of Armenia has proposed the third country’s candidacy to the Azerbaijani authorities. This has neither been confirmed nor denied.

“We have not been given any specific timeframe for when the issue will be discussed with all interested bodies, but given the humanitarian nature of the matter, we expect a response as soon as possible,” she said.

Sahakyan said that following the meeting, the issues discussed were also submitted in writing, and they are now awaiting a response within the maximum 30-day period stipulated by the Law on Freedom of Information.

The international law expert stressed that one of the issues raised falls exclusively within the authority of the Armenian government.

“Does the Republic of Armenia want to support the humanitarian mission — yes or no? This depends exclusively on the Armenian authorities,” she said.

According to Sahakyan, the process requires Armenia to propose a third country to the Azerbaijani authorities, after which the sides would discuss a mutually acceptable option. If an agreement is reached, representatives of that country could make consular visits on Armenia’s behalf to Armenians held in Baku.