“If the Russian is standing, why should they take our children?”: Parents of captives protest in front of the Russian embassy

Relatives of reserve soldiers captured in Khzraberd are holding a protest in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan. They are demanding the return of their children. As reported by News.am, the mother of one of the captives, Tamar Khachatryan, stated in an interview with reporters: “Why did they take our children, for whom did they take them, how did they take them? Let the Russian bring them back. Yesterday’s meeting with the Russian ambassador yielded no results; for 1.5 years we have been deceived daily and put on hold. How long should we wait? We do not know what condition our children are in there. They are making political deals. The Russian is standing, why should they take our children? How is it possible that a Russian negotiates for a Turk but does not negotiate for an Armenian? Let them do the same here, or is it that dealing with the Turk is better than with our own Armenian? Then they say we are a friendly nation. What kind of friendship is that? We will not leave until a solution is found to this issue. They took our children while the Russian was standing there. Why should they have taken them next to the Russian? The way they organized the abduction, they should bring our children back in the same manner. Every time we are told to wait like children being promised candy; it has already been 5 months, and no one has come.”

She also added that they have only been able to speak on the phone for 4 minutes through the Red Cross, and that is it: “They say we are fine, our health is good, and that’s it. What should we talk about while the Turk is standing next to them?”

Another parent mentioned: “We have not received any answers from the government. If our children were taken from the Russian peacekeepers, it is natural for us to come here. If France was the guarantor, we would go to the French embassy. We have also approached the authorities, but we have not received a concrete response. Should they take innocent people and hold them, turning human life into a political bargaining chip?”