Despite the existence of friendship groups with 70 countries in Armenia’s National Assembly, no effective steps have been taken through parliamentary diplomacy to secure the release of Armenian hostages imprisoned in Azerbaijan on fabricated charges, the Hayakve initiative stated in a recent announcement.

The group emphasized that parliamentary diplomacy should be vigorously employed to address the detention of Armenian captives in Baku. It questioned how many of these friendship groups have raised the issue with their counterparts in foreign parliaments.

The statement referred to growing international discussion of potential legal tools. It highlighted comments by attorney Jared Genser, who suggested that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan could have requested the International Committee of the Red Cross and the OSCE to send observers to the hostages' trials.

It further stated that Switzerland could have been asked to open a section in its Baku embassy to represent Armenian interests and help secure the hostages’ release. “Nothing has been done, nothing at all…” the statement concluded.

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly told Azerbaijani presidential advisor Hikmet Hajiyev that hostages must be released and a peace agreement with Armenia signed. Meanwhile, Ruben Vardanyan’s lawyer Jared Genser urged Pashinyan and Mirzoyan to closely review statements from Waltz and former President Donald Trump.