Putin expressed hope for Baku's mercy, speaking about the fate of the Karabakh authorities
Moscow hopes that Baku will proceed from humanitarian considerations in relation to the detained leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai discussion club.
Moderator Fyodor Lukyanov recalled, among other things, the ex-Minister of State, businessman Ruben Vardanyan, who was arrested by Azerbaijan. When asked by the moderator whether Russia can call on the Azerbaijani leadership to show mercy towards the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, Putin replied: "We've always done it, and we're doing it now." At the same time, he recalled that Vardanyan refused Russian citizenship.
"Do you know that everyone is gone? There are simply no Armenians there. Well, maybe a thousand and a half. That's it. <...> As for the former leaders, I understand that they don't particularly want to see them in Yerevan, but I assume that the leadership of Azerbaijan will proceed from <...> humanitarian considerations," the head of state said.
Ex-presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, as well as ex-head of parliament David Ishkhanyan, were detained by the Azerbaijani authorities after conducting a military operation in the region. The Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan also confirmed the detention of the ex-leader of the NKR Araik Harutyunyan, he was brought to criminal responsibility. Several representatives of the NKR leadership were detained on the border with Armenia, including Vardanyan.
The Armenian publication Hraparak, citing sources, wrote that Baku, before opening a humanitarian corridor to Armenia, demanded the extradition of former leaders of the unrecognized republic, state and military figures.
Source: rbc
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