Armenians Seek Accountability Amidst Holding Peace Talks with Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, Armenia — In her downtown Yerevan office, Tatevik Soghoyan meticulously examines stacks of documents, each one chronologically organized and connected to her uncle’s disappearance.

The latest correspondence from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) states: “The respondent government [Azerbaijan] has been unable to identify Mr. Hrant Papikyan.”

In October 2020, during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Papikyan, a military physician, hurried to the front lines with his driver to assist wounded soldiers.

While the driver succeeded in retreating, Papikyan found himself surrounded by Azerbaijani troops and has been unaccounted for ever since, Soghoyan informed The Moscow Times. Five years later, her family fears he may have been forcibly disappeared or captured.

Earlier this year, Yerevan and Baku reached a consensus on a long-anticipated peace agreement — a potential turning point in the long-standing conflict. Nevertheless, neither side has officially finalized the treaty.

Discussions regarding the peace treaty emerged after Baku seized full control of the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region in a swift offensive in 2023, driving ethnic Armenians to flee the enclave in large numbers.

Global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, have expressed their backing for the treaty, with Trump stating he is “looking forward” to its signing, as reported by Reuters.

Back at home, however, the Armenian government’s willingness to abandon reciprocal lawsuits in international courts as part of the agreement has incited unrest among families of missing soldiers and over 100,000 refugees from Karabakh. Some have even threatened to take legal action against the government if it proceeds with this plan.

In mid-March, relatives of the missing soldiers convened outside the government building to voice their dissatisfaction with the decision. Soghoyan was present among the protestors.

“It wasn’t unexpected, but there’s also deep frustration — we’re struggling to comprehend the government’s reasoning,” she remarked.

Last year, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hinted several times at his intention to abandon the lawsuits. His chief legal advisor, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, appeared to be opposed to this idea and resigned just days before the announcement.

“At first, the government indicated its willingness to pursue the complaints, but there was no mention of the possibility of withdrawing them,” Soghoyan explained. “The government cannot make such a decision without our input. Our rights have been violated, and my family continues to endure uncertainty and distress.”

Families of the missing have held multiple private meetings with officials. However, Soghoyan mentioned that she still has not received a definitive answer regarding how she could file an individual case against Baku at the European Court if the government retracts its complaint.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that nearly 1,000 Armenians and 4,000 Azerbaijanis are missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.

The two adversaries are now attempting to address humanitarian issues that have persisted since the early 1990s through the last available avenue: intergovernmental commissions.

The most recent discussions between Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives took place in February. Last month, the head of Armenia’s National Security Service, Armen Abazyan, informed reporters that further negotiations are anticipated soon.

After Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the separatist enclave, they also contributed to humanitarian efforts, processing 2,500 requests from Armenians seeking assistance in finding missing individuals. Last year, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov announced that they had managed prisoner exchanges, repatriated the remains of 1,900 deceased soldiers, and tackled other humanitarian concerns.

However, the Russian troops departed the region last spring, earlier than expected. During the farewell ceremony, Nikiforov stated that the peacekeepers had fulfilled their mission at a “high level.”

The Armenian government disputes this assertion. In the early stages of the blockade of Karabakh, which isolated residents from essential supplies such as food and medicine, Pashinyan accused the peacekeeping forces of being “silent witnesses to the Armenians’ exodus.”

Additionally, the Red Cross maintained exclusive access to the Karabakh territory, conducting monthly visits to the 23 Armenian prisoners of war detained in Baku. Last month, Azerbaijani authorities ordered the closure of the humanitarian organization’s local office.

“Our organization is in discussions with the Azerbaijani government. This is a confidential dialogue related to the future organizational aspects of our work — how we will proceed, under what status, and in what form,” Zara Amatuni, the communications and prevention manager for the ICRC’s Armenian office, told The Moscow Times.

When Anahit Svaryan first saw the remains of soldiers from the 44-Day War — stored in colorful bags at the morgue — she was consumed by one overwhelming fear: that her 19-year-old brother might be among them, with nothing left but shattered bone fragments.

She last had contact with her brother, Aram Svaryan, in the fall of 2020 while he was fulfilling his mandatory military service in Karabakh. Since then, the family has searched for him tirelessly.

During the conflict, Aram and his unit were ordered to deliver food to a location near Hadrut. As they traveled in their vehicle, they came under fierce gunfire, and Aram was shot in the head, causing the vehicle to flip, according to a witness. Azerbaijani troops later stormed the site. Two of Aram’s comrades survived, while the others were identified through DNA testing. No trace of Aram has ever been found.

In the aftermath of the war, Anahit’s father, Arkadi, gave up his profession as a stonemason. One of the final straws came when he was requested to carve a gravestone for another fallen soldier.

“For a moment, watching those families, he yearned for what they had — a place to grieve, something he does not have,” Anahit shared with The Moscow Times.

To honor Aram’s memory, the family established a memorial corner for him at home, a practice common among families who have lost loved ones in battle.

“I’ll never forget that moment,” the 24-year-old reflected. “I walked in and saw my father shaping wood into a table while my mother assisted him — despite her initial opposition to the idea.”

Anahit Svaryan and other families of missing soldiers have filed lawsuits against Azerbaijan in Europe’s supreme human rights tribunal. They worry that the withdrawal of government-level complaints could weaken their individual claims.

“Our lawyer assures us that, regardless of the pressure, we will continue to fight,” she stated.

Since 2020, Yerevan has brought four cases against Azerbaijan, which has responded with two complaints. Last November, an additional complaint before the UN’s highest court resulted in Armenia winning on two objections, while a third was dismissed. In 2023, the court ordered Baku to permit Armenians to return to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Gurgen Petrossian, who teaches international law at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, noted that while it is premature to make definitive judgments, Armenia appears to hold a stronger position in the international court compared to a more assertive Baku.

He also pointed out that if cases are withdrawn, both legal and timing complications are likely for families who decide to pursue legal action again.

“In any event, when states retract their claims, it raises questions regarding the country’s commitment and seriousness,” the Armenian academic told The Moscow Times.

Petrossian believes that until these legal disputes are settled, achieving lasting peace in the area is unlikely.

“Peace cannot be achieved without addressing legal issues; peace does not just occur spontaneously — legal foundations are essential for it,” he commented.