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Armenia will continue its efforts to get back all Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and hostages held in Azerbaijani captivity, Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said at a working meeting with members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday.

Incidentally, lawmakers from the opposition Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia factions did not attend the meeting, which was held in an open-door format only for the first few minutes.

The foreign minister stressed that by bringing fabricated charges and launching criminal cases against Armenian POWs, Azerbaijan violates the provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement on the Artsakh ceasefire, as well as the Geneva conventions.

"These factors do not contribute to confidence-building efforts in the region, as the most important guarantee for confidence-building is the fulfilment of commitments. Armenia is pursuing the issue of return of POWs at the highest level and will continue its efforts towards the repatriation of all prisoners of war and hostages and ascertaining the fate of the missing,” he said.

According to Ara Aivazian, the Armenian Foreign Ministry cooperates with its international partners, as well as with other relevant agencies on the issue of POWs and missing persons.