Parents of missing soldiers demand meeting with Armenian army chief
Families of the missing servicemen of the Etchmiadzin military unit on Tuesday again gathered in front of the Armenian Defense Ministry building to demand a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan after holding meetings with all responsible top military officers.
Parents noted that they only want to know when the search for servicemen in the Zangelan district, where they were encircled by the Azeri troops, is supposed to begin.
“They have gone missing for 55 days already. We want to know where they are, whether there is an opportunity to contact the children, to get information about them,” Anahit Adoyan, the mother of missing serviceman Vardan Adoyan, told reporters.
Referring to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's call for understanding and patience, she said. "It's very easy to say. But put yourself in the shoes of parents. We have been struggling for 55 days. If we find out that they are in captivity, the expectation may be different. But when the situation is uncertain, it’s different. This uncertainty stresses us out,” she said.
According to the woman, 41 servicemen, including reservists, went missing from Etchmiadzin military unit during the war. One of them returned to Armenia from Azerbaijani captivity along with the 43 other prisoners late on Monday, she said, adding they have not yet spoken to him to learn about the other servicemen of the military unit.