Parents of missing servicemen discussed issues of concern to them with members of the Strong Armenia party

ArmInfo. Members of the Armenian Parliament from the "Strong Armenia" faction, led by faction leader Narek Karapetyan, met with the parents of missing servicemen. During the meeting, one of the parents presented the main issues that concern them.

First, on behalf of the parents, he thanked the faction representatives for organizing the meeting, emphasizing the importance of feeling the state's support in such situations. "We understand that your faction does not have a political majority to allow decisions, including legislative ones, to be made immediately. However, we expect that the issues we raised will be voiced by you, and that appropriate steps will be taken for each of them. If a solution to certain issues is impossible, we at least want to understand the reasons and have a reasoned answer," the parent noted.

Following this, the parents of the missing servicemen presented their concerns. They identified the exhumation of the bodies of fallen servicemen following the military aggression in Artsakh on September 19-20, 2023, as one of the main issues. According to one parent, this concerns approximately 51 bodies that were hastily buried in Artsakh during the Azerbaijani aggression. "Initially, work was underway in this direction, and a corresponding list was compiled, but for unknown reasons, the process was suspended," he noted.

The parents believe it is necessary to raise this issue again. They say that given the Armenian authorities' statements about the advent of an era of peace, the possibility of resuming such work in the occupied territories of Artsakh must be considered. In this regard, they also reported that they had carried out extensive work in this area: lists had been compiled, the names and surnames of the deceased, as well as their burial sites, had been clarified.

Another issue raised concerned people, in particular servicemen, killed in the explosion at a fuel depot near Stepanakert in September 2023. According to the parents, the legal status of the deceased has still not been resolved. They recalled that the Armenian Prime Minister had promised to resolve this issue promptly during the pre-election period. "We believe that appropriate efforts should also be made on this issue," the parents noted.

In turn, Ruzanna Stepanyan, coordinator of the Pan-Armenian Front movement, recalled that she has long been working on issues related to the parents of missing servicemen, as well as the families of those killed in the explosion near Stepanakert. According to her, they have repeatedly sent letters to international organizations, including those based in Armenia. However, she says they have not yet received a response from any of them, including embassies. "We want the Strong Armenia faction to include this issue on their agenda," Stepanyan noted.

She also spoke about attempts to draw the attention of state and international organizations to the issue of exhuming the bodies of the deceased. "We contacted the Prime Minister of Armenia about six months ago. He forwarded our letter to the National Security Service, but they initially refused to receive the parents." "We were eventually met by the secretary, who stated that he didn't understand why the letter had been forwarded to the Interdepartmental Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons in Armenia, which operates under the coordination of the National Security Service, given that the commission doesn't handle exhumation issues," Stepanyan said.

According to her, they currently don't even know whether the graves in question still exist. However, as the movement coordinator noted, they have information about their location, including coordinates. "This issue was forwarded to someone who isn't actually handling it. When we raised this issue with the UN Commissioner, we were told that they were hearing for the first time about the existence of missing persons," Stepanyan noted.

She emphasized that she considers the lack of necessary action by government agencies unacceptable. "Until humanitarian issues are resolved in Armenia, no other issue will be resolved," the movement's coordinator is confident.

According to her, the latest appeal was sent to the International Interchurch Organization, but no response has yet been received. "Furthermore, letters were sent to various structures involved in human rights protection. Specifically, this concerns the need for the Armenian government to take concrete steps. We are here today so that you can help push them to take these steps. And you can raise this issue at international forums," Stepanyan noted, addressing the faction representatives.

Arega Hovsepyan, a member of parliament from the Strong Armenia faction, meanwhile, assured that such meetings will be regular. "This will not be our only meeting. They will be held periodically. We are monitoring this issue from every possible angle—from diplomatic, political, and legal perspectives." "This issue will always be a top priority for our faction," Hovsepyan noted.

Regarding the status of the servicemen killed in the explosion at the fuel depot near Stepanakert, the Strong Armenia faction MP announced that one of her initiatives would be to develop and submit a legislative proposal on this issue. According to Hovsepyan, the problem is that they are currently being told that they are working to grant status to servicemen killed directly during military operations. "We, meanwhile, want to draw attention to the fact that our legislation still does not include the concept of 'civilian victim,' which is incorrect," she noted.

Hovsepyan emphasized that the faction intends to continue working in this direction and seek to grant appropriate status to those killed in the explosion near Stepanakert. Other issues were also raised during the meeting. In particular, the parents expressed concern and uncertainty about whether a number of the issues they had raised were being raised at meetings with international representatives, as claimed. The meeting was then stopped from being recorded, and further discussions were held behind closed doors.

It should be noted that according to official data, there are 437 missing persons in Armenia, 224 of whom are military personnel and 213 civilians.