The International Committee of Red Cross welcomes the humanitarian ceasefire agreement reached in the context of the escalating Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is always ready, in accordance with his role as a neutral mediator, to support the exchange of bodies and the and the simultaneous release of prisoners, the ICRC reported.
“The ICRC has a long history as a neutral mediator, and we hoped the bodies of killed in hostilities will be returned to their relatives to mourn with dignity. We are ready to support the release of detainees currently under the control of parties to the conflict so that they can be reunited with their families”, Martin Schupp, ICRC Regional Director for Eurasia noted.
During the war the ICRC suggested his mediating services to both parts. The ICRC does not participate in negotiating process. “We have regular discussions with parties, we have expressed our willingness to discuss the nature of the ICRC’s involvement in facilitating the return of prisoners, including the organization of work and security guarantees of our teams” Added Schupp.
"The ICRC supported both sides during the April war in 2016. Thanks to systematic efforts, it was then possible to extradite all the dead to their families and to avoid adding new names to the list of more than 4500 missing persons due to the conflict in 1992. Since 1992 the ICRC has repeatedly assisted the authorities in such actions”, says in the message.
