Armenian Defense Ministry Collaborates with Peacekeepers and ICRC on Prisoner and Remains Exchange Mechanisms

The Armenian Ministry of Defense is actively working with the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping mission and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to establish practical mechanisms for the exchange of persons held in captivity and the exchange of remains in a timely manner.

This information was provided to Armenpress by the Ministry's Information and Public Relations Department.

The trilateral agreement reached on September 27 between the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia, and the President of Azerbaijan to halt the war unleashed in Artsakh, along with the deployment of Russian peacekeeping forces to monitor the ceasefire regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, creates an opportunity to clarify the fates of servicemen and civilians who have found themselves in captivity or whose whereabouts remain unknown during hostilities, as well as to facilitate the exchange of remains.

The Ministry of Defense is prepared to provide comprehensive support to the Russian peacekeeping contingent during its mission. Active work is already underway with the leadership of the peacekeeping mission and representatives of the ICRC to establish and implement practical mechanisms for the exchange of persons held in captivity and the exchange of remains in a timely manner.

The Fund for the Insurance of Servicemen has begun providing compensations according to established procedures for families of servicemen who were injured or killed since September 27. Efforts are being made to develop legislative initiatives aimed at simplifying the existing legal framework regarding missing persons, as well as streamlining the compensation procedures and shortening the timelines for providing compensations to injured or deceased servicemen.