Mother of Missing Soldier: 'Papikyan Said a Peace Treaty Will Be Signed, and Then That Issue Will Be Resolved'

On August 30, parents of missing servicemen from the "Chemists' Battalion" in Echmiadzin went to the Ministry of Defense demanding a meeting with Minister Suren Papikyan. Although they were allowed to enter the building and were provided with a room to sit, they were informed from inside that Papikyan was not in the building and could not meet with them. The parents declared that they would not leave the building until a meeting took place, and they waited until after midnight.

Later, they were told that a meeting would indeed happen with Papikyan. That day, the Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan met with the parents and spoke with them, but as the parents noted, he did not answer their questions, which is why they insisted that a meeting with Suren Papikyan be held.

In an interview with 168.am, Hripsime Hakobyan, the mother of one of the missing soldiers from the "Chemists' Battalion," stated that they met with Suren Papikyan a day after their protest. "There were about 50 parents; we asked questions, he responded, then he asked questions, and we answered. In the end, Suren Papikyan scheduled individual meetings in groups of 4-5 people on different days. We had many questions, and it was a bit chaotic; it was not possible to answer all at once. He scheduled our next meeting for September 12. That day, there is a court case involving a general and a commander regarding the missing persons' cases, and we arranged it so that we can speak with him and then attend the court. I don’t know, Suren Papikyan said that these issues will be resolved through the investigation and criminal proceedings. Well, I don’t know how that will happen; they don’t say either. At the meeting, Suren Papikyan stated that a peace treaty would be signed, and then that issue would be resolved; without this peace treaty, the issue will not be solved," said Hripsime Hakobyan.

The interviewee stated that they will go to the Ministry of Defense meeting and after that, they will understand what needs to be done regarding this issue. "Well, all structures have something to address, but we need to go to that meeting to understand. In reality, I cannot say anything because today’s government is not reliable for solving any issues; I don’t know what will happen. In any case, I do not want to lose my optimism, as it concerns my son, and the sooner we get answers to our questions, the better," concluded Hripsime Hakobyan.

It should be noted that on July 26, parents of missing soldiers from the "Chemists' Battalion" held a protest on Baghramyan Avenue, in front of the presidential residence, where Nikol Pashinyan also temporarily resides. The participants of the protest announced that they would sit in until Nikol Pashinyan accepted and listened to them. Despite the parents blocking the road for hours, no member of the government approached them, aside from police officers and officials.