Monday, 30 November 2020
Tigran Avinyan receives ICRC representatives
On November 30, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation to Armenia Claire Meytraud and newly appointed Head of Delegation Thierry Ribaut.
Thanking Claire Meytraud for her tenure-long valuable efforts, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that the tradition of close interaction with the ICRC delegation led by Thierry Ribaux would continue and expand further.
The ICRC officials thanked the Armenian government agencies for cooperation and support, which helps them to effectively carry on with the organization’s mission. Claire Meytraud and Thierry Ribaux gave details of ICRC activities in Armenia.
The meeting discussed issues related to the exchange of prisoners, the identification of missing persons and the search for the bodies of killed servicemen. Appreciating ICRC’s support and mediation role, Tigran Avinyan stressed the need to step up the aforementioned efforts. He noted that the Armenian side adheres to the civilized rules of treatment of prisoners of war as enshrined in international conventions and protocols. He assured that our country will continue to follow the letter and spirit of relevant conventions.
The Deputy Prime Minister referred to the violations of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan during and after the hostilities. He expressed concern over the obstacles created by the Azerbaijani side in the processes of the search for the missing and the return of the captives
Tigran Avinyan presented the main principles and mechanisms proposed by the Armenian side on the prisoner exchange process. He stressed the need to speed up the process.
The interlocutors referred to the humanitarian situation in Artsakh, highlighting the need to assess the needs of the people of Artsakh.
