Armenian Defense Ministry receives up to 30 bodies of Azerbaijani soldiers

The mediators were Russia, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the representative of the OSCE President.

Azerbaijan handed over to Armenia the bodies of 29 Armenian soldiers and officers who died in the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said on Thursday, October 29.

The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed that 29 military corps were transferred. According to the press secretary of the Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, this was made possible thanks to the mediation efforts of Russia, the field team of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the personal representative of the OSCE President-in-Office.

He also said that Yerevan is ready to hand over to the Azerbaijani side the bodies of the military who are on the Karabakh side, provide information on the prisoners of war and prepare their exchange.

New consultations in Geneva

After three ceasefire agreements in Karabakh, which were foiled within a month, new consultations will begin in Geneva on October 30 to resolve the conflict. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan are expected to meet with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, France and the United States). The meeting was previously scheduled for October 29.

Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh escalated sharply on September 27, when Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military operation to regain control of this predominantly Armenian-populated region. Since then, many people, including civilians, have been killed and injured as a result of the fighting.

Nagorno-Karabakh unilaterally declared its independence from Azerbaijan after the collapse of the USSR. The independence of the self-proclaimed NKR is not recognized by any country. The negotiation process aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict is carried out under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States.

Source: DW Russian Service

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