Switzerland ready to assist on POWs if Armenia requests

PanARMENIAN.Net - Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan has stated that Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry is willing to use its mechanisms regarding the issue of prisoners of war, but emphasized that such involvement requires a formal request from the Armenian government, as reported by Pastinfo.

According to Stepanyan, to his knowledge, the Armenian authorities have not yet submitted such a request.

Earlier, it was announced that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had ceased operations in Azerbaijan following a government decision. In response, the National Assembly of Artsakh appealed to the Swiss government, requesting it to step in and protect the rights of the detainees if the Red Cross can no longer fulfill that role.

Stepanyan stressed that since the issue concerns Armenian citizens, intervention requires an official request from Yerevan.

"The Armenian government must state: the rights of my citizens are being violated in a country where I have no diplomatic or consular presence, and therefore I request mediation or intervention. This is not an issue that can be resolved at the individual level,” he said.

Asked whether there are indications the government intends to file such a request, he replied: “Since we’re talking about prisoners and the Armenian government insists that it’s working intensively in that direction, the expectation is that such a request will be made. They say they’re working on it intensively, but whether they truly are is another question.”

Stepanyan added that while detainees still have access to phone calls with their families, the ability to send packages has been lost due to the Red Cross's halted operations.

“Since the Red Cross is no longer involved, that option is gone. There was talk that access might still be possible through Tbilisi or Geneva, even after the Red Cross withdraws, but nothing is certain yet,” he said.

On September 3, 2025, the ICRC officially ceased operations in Azerbaijan following a decision by the Azerbaijani government, which announced that it would independently ensure communication between detainees and their families.