GOAM STILL LOOKING TO EXCHANGE SOLDIERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 002792 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/SNEC E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2014 TAGS: PREL PARM MARR PBTS AJ AM OSCE SUBJECT: GOAM STILL LOOKING TO EXCHANGE SOLDIERS REF: A) YEREVAN 2597 B) IIR YEREVAN DTG 061337ZDEC04 C) STATE 273036 D) BAKU 2082 Classified By: Amb. John M. Evans for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). (C) As reported in the first week of December (refs A and B), Armenian MOD officials acknowledged holding one Azeri soldier and reported to us that they had unsuccessfully sought to return him to the GOAJ. Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsian told the Ambassador December 1 that his attempts to phone his counterpart in Baku to discuss the exchange had been fruitless. The GOAM allegedly also attempted to arrange the exchange through the Red Cross (ref B). EVANS