Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Provides Clarification on Missing Persons Statistics

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia has issued a clarification regarding the number of missing military personnel. According to the statement, 'The data of families of missing servicemen receiving monthly support of 300,000 drams under the 'Bridge' program, as decided by the Government of Armenia, is published on the website of the 'Insurance Fund for Servicemen' along with the nominal list of missing persons. Therefore, the document is publicly available and contains no confidential information.'

The 'Bridge' program has been operational since December of the previous year, and as of that time, families of missing servicemen have begun receiving support until a final beneficiary is confirmed. Subsequently, after the remains are found and identified, the beneficiaries will receive the support designated for the deceased, while the matter of final beneficiaries for others will be determined in accordance with the established procedure.

Since the launch of the program, approximately 700 remains have been found and identified, thus the reported number of missing persons does not correspond to reality.