Armenia Says Release of Prisoners Held by Azerbaijan Key to 'Genuine Reconciliation'
Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan stated at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Istanbul that the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and clarification of the fate of missing persons are prerequisites for genuine reconciliation. Azerbaijan officially acknowledges holding 19 Armenian detainees. A meeting between Simonyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Sahiba Gafarova also took place on the sidelines of the Istanbul assembly.