Issue of Armenian prisoners can be settled after `more favorable  environment between Armenia and Azerbaijan` formed - premier 

ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan doesn't consider the assertion that peace with Azerbaijan can only be concluded after all existing issues between the countries, including the issue of prisoners held in Baku,  to be absolute.

On November 12, journalists asked the Prime Minister how Armenia  plans to conclude a peace treaty if Azerbaijan continues its  narrative that most of the territory of the Republic of Armenia is  historical Azerbaijani lands to which they plan to "return," and  continues the sham trial of Armenians with no plans to release them.

Commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statement that  "there is no Lake Sevan on imperial maps, but there is Goycha,"  Pashinyan once again pointed out that the Baku leader had stated that  Lake Sevan doesn't exist on maps of Tsarist Russia, but has a  different name. "I'm telling you that on that same map there is  Armenia and no Azerbaijan." "What does this mean?" he said, calling  for the question to be framed correctly.

As for the return of prisoners, hostages, and other individuals held  in Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister said work is being carried out  daily.

"If there is a view that this issue must be resolved in order to  resolve the issue of peace, then I am saying that by establishing a  favorable environment between Armenia and Azerbaijan, this issue will  be easier to resolve. Peace will also resolve all other issues," he  said.

According to official data, Azerbaijan currently holds 23 confirmed  Armenian prisoners (however, Armenian human rights activists claim  there are another 80 Armenian prisoners). Seven of them have been  convicted, and the cases of 16 citizens are pending in two separate  trials. These include the case of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben  Vardanyan and the case of 15 prisoners, including the  military-political leaders of Artsakh. Five of the 23 Armenians were  taken prisoner in 2020, the rest in 2023.