800 ARMENIANS FROM KARABAKH STILL REPORTED MISSING
ARMENPRESS
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS: A state commission in Nagorno-Karabakh,
set up to deal with prisoners of war, missing persons and hostages
said some 800 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are deemed still missing
since the war with Azerbaijan in early 1990-s.
Viktor Kocharian, head of the commission, said to Armenpress that was
not the exact number as there is little information about how many
Armenians from the Shahumian region of Azerbaijan are missing. He
said members of the commission are meeting with former residents of
that region to learn if they have missing family members.
Deputy foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Masis Mailian told
Armenpress no prisoners of war are held in Karabakh. He said sometimes
Azeri soldiers cross the line of contact into Armenian-controlled
territory. But he said the International Committee of Red Cross
is notified about this sort of incidents which helps to repatriate
soldiers.
A senior official of the Council of Europe, Leo Platvoit, who deals
with PoWs and missing persons and heads a PACE ad hoc committee is due
to visit Karabakh in September. The official visited already Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan and is expected to have his report prepared
early next year.