OSCE Chairman-in-Office welcomes release of prisoners-of-war by Armenia

VIENNA, 17 September 1999 - The President of Armenia Robert Kocharian yesterday made a decision to unconditionally release three prisoners-of-war to Azerbaijan.

The decision was made after a meeting between the President and the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, who is paying an official visit to Armenia. During the talks, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office stressed that the question of prisoners-of-war must be solved.

A Mixed Group has recently been established with the help of the OSCE with a view to facilitating the process of releasing prisoners-of-war and of determining the fate of missing persons.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office welcomed the release as an important confidence building initiative on the part of Armenia. He expressed his hope that this expression of good will will prove conducive to strengthening the overall process towards dialogue and reconciliation.

The Chairman-in-Office will today arrive to Azerbaijan for an official visit. The three freed prisoners-of-war will be with him on his plane when it arrives in Baku at 19:00 hours local time.