“I Am in Armenia, Which Means I Am Fine”: Freed POW Vagif Khachatryan Under Medical Care

One of the four Armenian citizens released from Azerbaijani captivity, 70-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, is currently undergoing medical examinations in Armenia and is waiting to reunite with his family. This information was shared by Armenia’s Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan, after she visited him and spoke to journalists who were waiting outside the hospital.

The minister said that Khachatryan expressed relief after returning to Armenia.

 “He said, ‘I am in Armenia, which means I am already fine,’” the minister noted. She added that Khachatryan has a chronic heart condition and that additional medical examinations will now be carried out. A decision regarding his further treatment will be made based on the results of these tests.

Avanesyan confirmed that Khachatryan had heart-related health problems before his detention and that doctors are now closely monitoring his condition. Further evaluations will determine whether ongoing treatment or medical intervention is required.

Journalists asked whether Khachatryan had undergone surgery. The minister did not answer this question, explaining that full medical information about a patient’s condition cannot be made public.

The Armenian Report also asked about the health condition of the other Armenians who returned from captivity, particularly Viken Euljekjian, who reportedly had difficulty walking while in an Azerbaijani prison. In response, the Minister told us, “All of them will receive the necessary examinations and professional medical assessments, and if any further treatment is needed, it will be organized.”

The other three former prisoners returned from Azerbaijan have been transferred to the Muratsan Military Hospital, where they are undergoing medical examinations.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, Viken Euljekjian, and Vagif Khachatryan were handed over to Armenian authorities by representatives of Azerbaijan at the Hakari Bridge. He confirmed that all four individuals are now on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Shortly afterward, the prime minister made another statement, noting that initial medical examinations showed no health problems for Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, and Viken Euljekjian. Vagif Khachatryan’s health condition was initially assessed as satisfactory.

It later became known that two mercenaries sentenced to life imprisonment in Armenia, Syrian citizens Yousef Alaabath al-Haji and Muhhrab Muhammad al-Shkheri, were transferred through Turkey to the competent authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Vagif Khachatryan was abducted on July 29, 2023, by representatives of Azerbaijan’s border service while he was being transported from Artsakh to Armenia to receive urgent medical care. Later, Azerbaijani authorities accused him of allegedly forming a criminal group and participating in crimes against residents of Meshali village in the Khojaly region on December 21, 1991.

During court hearings, Khachatryan repeatedly stated that he had committed no crime and denied all accusations against him.

His return to Armenia comes after months of detention, during which his health condition remained a serious concern for his family and Armenian officials.

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