Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan, who is on an official visit to Luxembourg, discussed the issue of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan during a meeting with Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Foreign Trade.

The two officials discussed a broad range of topics related to bilateral cooperation and mutual interests.

They also addressed the regional situation and issues concerning the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty.

In September 2023, after a nine-month blockade in Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population, Azerbaijan captured former Artsakh leaders, including ex-presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, foreign minister Davit Babayan, and several other officials. They face fabricated charges that could lead to life imprisonment. The first court hearing in Baku took place on January 17.

On January 16, Ruben Vardanyan stated that he had given no testimony since his arrest except for his name. He asserted that all signed protocols were falsified and confirmed that he, his lawyer, and his translator had been subjected to pressure.