Two Armenian civilians interned in Azerbaijan today returned to Armenia under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The man and the woman were placed under the care of Armenian officials on the international border between the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh and Armenian town of Ijevan.
Before arranging the repatriation of the Armenian civilians, ICRC delegates had visited them to assess the conditions of internment and the attitude towards them.
As a neutral intermediary and in accordance with its mandate, the ICRC facilitated the repatriation process in conjunction with the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities. The internees had previously confirmed to ICRC delegates that both were returning of their own free will.
On the basis of its mandate under the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC has been working in the area since 1992 in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ICRC press service reports.
