Families of missing Armenian soldiers give government one week, plan march to Hakari Bridge

Relatives of Armenian soldiers missing since the 2020 Artsakh war rallied outside the government headquarters on Monday, saying nearly six years of uncertainty have left them with little confidence that authorities will determine the fate of their loved ones.

The families said they would give the government one week to provide answers before pursuing their own efforts to seek information.

"We have come to the conclusion that in six years we have seen no meaningful progress from the authorities on the issue of the missing, and we no longer believe they will deliver results," Arsen Ghukasyan, the brother of a soldier killed in the 2020 war and a relative of a missing serviceman, told reporters. He said the families were giving the government one final week to provide "clear answers."

If no progress is made, Ghukasyan said the families would try to establish contact with people in Azerbaijan whose relatives have also been listed as missing since the conflicts of the 1990s.

"We want to find a way to communicate with people in Azerbaijan who are in the same situation," he said. "We will do everything we can from here to learn about their missing relatives, while they, in turn, may be able to help us learn about ours. The fate of these people cannot remain unknown forever."

As part of that effort, the group plans to drive to the Armenian border village of Tegh before marching on foot toward the Hakari Bridge, where they hope to find a way to connect with Azerbaijani families of missing persons. Ghukasyan said it was too early to say whether such contact would be possible.

Ghukasyan also criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's handling of the issue, citing his comments made during a closed-door meeting with families of the missing.

According to Ghukasyan, Pashinyan told the families that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had said Azerbaijan was not holding any missing Armenian servicemen. Ghukasyan said the families had presented videos they believe show Armenian soldiers being taken into Azerbaijani custody but accused Pashinyan of placing greater weight on Aliyev's denial than on the footage.

Ghukasyan further alleged that Pashinyan told the families Aliyev had even "sworn" that Azerbaijan was not holding any missing Armenian servicemen during the private meeting.