Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Azerbaijan in respect of the treatment and continued detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians captured during the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh; and if he will make a statement.

The UK Government is deeply concerned by all allegations that prisoners of war have been subjected to cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment. During my recent visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan, I urged both parties to ensure thorough investigations into all allegations, and welcomed those Azerbaijani investigations already underway. I also underlined the importance of returning all prisoners of war and urged both parties to work closely with the ICRC to expedite the returns where relevant. I also encouraged both sides to abide by the 10 November trilateral peace deal and settle all outstanding matters through talks under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. The UK Government welcomes the most recent exchange of prisoners of war on 10 February.