Armenian Health Ministry: Remains of those killed in 44-day war remain unburied

There are remains of Armenian soldiers killed in the 44-day war that have not been identified or are not being taken away by their relatives, Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said at a press conference, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media.

The fact is that a group of parents refuse to accept the fact of their children's deaths, do not believe the results of DNA examinations and do not take away the remains that have been identified.

"There are remains that have been examined many times and the result has not changed. Not a single expertise conducted in Armenia has been refuted abroad," she said.

The minister noted that there was a case when the expertise established the identity of the dead participant of the 44-day war, but the relatives refused to bury the remains. In this case, the state takes over the process of burial.

"With the help and mediation of the ICRC, an opportunity was created for a more accurate forensic investigation, and we took advantage of it," she said.

Last February, Armenia's health minister said the process of identifying Armenian soldiers killed in the 44-day war had been completed, but there were still unburied remains. More than 100 remains were sent to the Netherlands for re-examination and the results were 99 per cent accurate.