The sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continue collecting and exchanging remains of fallen soldiers under the auspices of the Russian peacekeeping forces and in our presence as a humanitarian neutral intermediary. All the steps in the identification process take quite some time. While it is painful for families, there will be a need for a lot of patience to allow the staff in charge of this process to be as accurate and as professional as possible.

 

When a retrieval operation is organized by the authorities, we are invited to participate as an observer. We cannot confirm the place and time of retrieval operations decided by the sides.

 

Retrieval of remains is merely one step in the identification process, which begins before retrieval operations with the collection and analysis of data on deceased individuals and their current location.

 

Following retrieval, remains are then analyzed at a forensic examination facility. Depending upon the situation, multiple types of analysis may be necessary.

 

The legal step of identifying remains only comes after these preceding steps.

 

It is not until all necessary steps of the identification process take place and a positive identification is made that deceased individuals can be returned to their loved ones.