Azerbaijan Delays Body Exchange Process: Emergency Situations Department Discovers 693 Armenian Soldiers' Remains

The Emergency Situations State Service of Artsakh has reported the discovery of the remains of approximately 693 Armenian soldiers as a result of ongoing search operations for fallen servicemen. In a conversation with Armenpress, Hunan Tadevosyan, an officer in the department of information and public relations, emphasized that the search efforts are continuing.

“Police and Defense Army units have already joined these efforts. Body exchanges are being conducted periodically. However, it is difficult to negotiate with the Azerbaijani side, and the exchange process is being prolonged. Overall, the Azerbaijani side has significantly hindered our work during this time; they either refuse agreements or agree one day, then backtrack for unclear reasons the next day,” Tadevosyan stated.

When asked whether any sheltered civilians or servicemen had been discovered during the search operations, Tadevosyan mentioned that there was one case initially reported in the Shushi area, but no similar instances have been recorded since.

According to the Emergency Situations Department representative, rescuers have not yet conducted search operations in the areas south of Zangelan, Fizuli, Jabrail, and Hadrut, as negotiations with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Azerbaijani side are ongoing. He indicated that discussions regarding the exchange of captives are also taking place at the highest levels, involving senior Russian military officials, but no results have been achieved yet.

Regarding the search operations for the remains of fallen servicemen, the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, Eteri Musayelyan, noted that since November 13, the ICRC has participated as a humanitarian organization and neutral mediator in the process of retrieving and returning the bodies.

“We assist the parties to organize this process in safer conditions. We engage in negotiations almost daily and participate as intermediaries in the discussions whenever these processes take place. All our negotiations with the parties on these matters are confidential, and we cannot disclose the details of our discussions,” Musayelyan added.