Kocharyan: progress in identification of soldiers' remains

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chairman of the National Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee and head of the investigative commission on the 44-day war, Andranik Kocharyan, stated that after discussions with parents of missing soldiers, it was decided to hold another meeting in a month.

He emphasized that as a result of these hearings, some parents have already identified and buried the remains of their sons, Pastinfo reports.

"Following the discussions and hearings, some parents were able to retrieve their children's remains after identification and lay them to rest. Isn’t that a result? I believe it is," Kocharyan said.

He added that the commission's findings will be presented, and all questions will be addressed in a closed parliamentary session.

"We compiled a report on the first discussion and sent it to the main rapporteur. Additionally, we included all the proposals made by the legal team representing the families of the deceased and missing soldiers. Two key reports have been processed and incorporated into the document.

This report has been submitted to the Minister of Justice, the Director of the National Security Service (NSS), and also provided to the parents. We are using this time to move forward with solutions to the raised issues," he said.

Kocharyan also noted that the gathered factual data allows for more precise searches for missing soldiers.

"There are approximately 173 ongoing cases. Today, the remains need to be sought on the opposing side, and both Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions are working on this. We have also met with the NSS director, and we must ensure that all remains are exchanged.

A parent will only find peace when they recover even a fragment of their child’s remains, confirming their fate. Only then can they finally lay them to rest and find closure," Kocharyan concluded.