STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)—Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev, members of an armed group of Azerbaijanis apprehended in July in Karvachar by Artsakh authorities, will be charged according to the laws of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Artsakh Defense Army commander Movses Hakobyan said.

 

“We’re dealing with a specially trained group, they will be charged according to the laws of the NKR,” Hakobyan was reported as saying by Armenpress. “The authorities are in charge of repatriating Karen Petrosyan’s body [an Armenian villager killed in Azeri captivity]. As for the saboteurs, they will get what they deserve according to our laws. Karen’s case has nothing to do with military activities. The young man, who had mental and substance abuse problems, appeared in Azerbaijan by accident and was very unsuccessfully presented as an Armenian serviceman by the Azeri government.”

As for the commanders of the Azerbaijani Army, Movses Hakobyan stressed that he has never underestimated the enemy.

“I have had the honor of fighting against a worthy opponent. The commander of the Azerbaijani Third Corps, however, does not fit that description,” Hakobyan said about Rovshan Akperov, the Azeri commander seen on video mistreating Karen Petrosyan.

Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Alexander Lukashevich also commented about Karen Petrosyan’s death in Azerbaijani captivity.

“We deeply regret that the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is accompanied by human losses, death of people, and not only during fighting. We express deep condolences to the families and friends of K. Petrosyan and to other families of Armenians and Azerbaijanis who have lost their lives. We consider it necessary to conduct thorough investigations into such incidents,” Alexander Lukashevich said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged the two sides to make practical use of the provisions of the Joint Statement of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation on October 27, 2010, on the return of bodies with the assistance of the OSCE Minsk Group and the International Committee of the Red Cross.