A delegation from Yerevan was denied a meeting with fellow countrymen arrested in Baku.

A second meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian representatives was held in Baku, where the issue of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan was again discussed. Members of the Armenian delegation reported that a meeting with the prisoners was not possible.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in October, the President of Azerbaijan announced the lifting of all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia. Armenian authorities considered this an important step in opening regional communications. Following this, Russian Railways organized the shipment of wheat to Armenia through Azerbaijan. The Armenian government noted that this fulfilled one of the agreements reached in the United States, which contributes to strengthening peace between Yerevan and Baku.

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The request of Armenian civil society representatives who visited Baku to meet with Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan was not granted, a member of the Naira Sultanyan of the delegation at a press conference dedicated to the results of the visit.

According to her, the issue of the prisoner situation was raised both at meetings with Azerbaijani officials and during a dialogue with the participation of Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev, Meydan TV reported on November 24.

We were not subject to any restrictions on discussing this topic.

"We were not subject to any restrictions on discussing this topic. The opportunity for direct dialogue with Mr. Hajiyev was especially valuable for us - it was a new experience. We tried to discuss the issue diplomatically in order to strengthen the atmosphere of trust between the parties," the publication quoted Sultanyan as saying.

Head of the Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan, who He, who was also a member of the delegation, believes that the absence of a meeting with prisoners in the visit's itinerary constituted a polite refusal. "When the visit itinerary was presented to us, we expressed a desire to include such a meeting. However, this item was never added. This, in essence, amounts to a refusal, albeit couched in diplomatic language," he is quoted as saying.

According to the publication, 23 Armenian prisoners are being held in Baku detention centers, including those convicted of various criminal offenses.

We are being heard, but there is no practical progress so far.

Boris Navasardyan explained after the meeting that the issue of Armenians being held in Azerbaijani prisons "is a matter of serious concern" for the Armenian public. He noted that the delegation had repeatedly raised this issue. "We are being heard, but there is no practical progress so far—neither in meetings with them nor in their release." "In any case, we haven't lost hope yet," Armenian Report quoted him as saying.

In turn, Naira Sultanyan noted that she hadn't heard a "clear and concrete answer" from the Azerbaijani side regarding the number of prisoners and their names. "But the Armenian authorities assured us that they are constantly making efforts on this issue, and Hajiyev, on the other hand, assured us that a very active negotiation process is underway," Tert.am quoted her as saying.

The meeting in Baku was preceded by a meeting in Yerevan

The Yerevan delegation's visit to Baku took place on November 21-22 as part of the "Bridge of Peace" initiative. Armenian civil society representatives (Areg Kochinyan, Boris Navasardyan, Naira Sultanyan, Narek Minasyan, and Samvel Meliksetyan) met with their Azerbaijani counterparts Farhad Mammadov, Rusif Huseynov, Kamalya Mammadova, Ramil Iskenderli, and Fuad Abdullayev, 1news.az reported on November 24.

During the meeting, the dynamics of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the role of civil society in fostering dialogue, and joint projects were discussed. The parties agreed to intensify joint activities, establish direct contacts between expert groups, and further engage Azerbaijani and Armenian civil societies in the peace process.

At a meeting between the Yerevan delegation and Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, "they discussed steps taken by Azerbaijan and Armenia since the Washington meeting to strengthen the peace agenda," the publication states.

A month earlier, on October 21-22, a meeting of delegations with almost the same composition took place in Yerevan. It was the first meeting of civil society representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan in this format, Azernews reported on October 22.

During the meeting, the participants discussed prospects for the peace process, humanitarian issues, and economic and logistical opportunities in the context of normalizing relations between the two countries. During the visit, the participants met with Secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan, the publication reports.

The Armenian Ombudsman and the OSCE PA delegation discussed the issue of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan

Armenian Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan received a delegation led by Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE PA Special Representative for the South Caucasus Luis Grassa, News.am reported today.

At the meeting, Manasyan emphasized the "problematic nature of the processes carried out in Azerbaijan regarding Armenians arbitrarily deprived of their liberty."

In particular, they discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation in the field of human rights protection in connection with this situation, the publication writes.