“Russia deeply regrets that the unresolved Nagorno Karabakh conflict is accompanied by loss of life, and not only during armed clashes.” This statement was made by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich on August 23 when asked what Russia’s position is on the death of Armenian villager Karen Petrosyan who was in Azerbaijani captivity. “We offer our deep condolences to the families of Karen Petrosyan and other Armenians and Azerbaijanis who have died. We believe that incidents of this kind need careful investigation. We urge the parties to activate the provision in the Joint Statement of the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation of October 27, 2010, on the return of the dead bodies of victims with support from the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the International Committee of the Red Cross,” stated Lukashevich. Karen Petrosyan (b.1981), a resident of Chinari Village was taken captive by Azerbaijanis on August 7. The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan released a statement on August 8, stating that Karen Petrosyan had died suddenly of heart failure. On August 15, the US State Department issued a statement expressing their deep concern about the death of Karen Petrosyan while in Azerbaijan’s captivity and by allegations that his death was not due to natural causes. The United States called on the Government of Azerbaijan to conduct a full and transparent investigation into this incident and to make its findings public. On August 21, the French Foreign Ministry spokesman stated: “France is deeply shocked by the murder of Karen Petrosyan on August 8 who was captured by the Azerbaijanis.” The ministry spokesperson also called on the Azerbaijani authorities to take rapid efforts towards repatriating his body and give full information about the circumstances of his death. Russia, the United States and France are the three co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group.
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