The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes the efforts of the sides to the Karabakh conflict towards clarifying the fates of those reported missing.

"We welcome the efforts of the sides, which have allowed the fate of everyone reported missing following the recent escalation to be clarified. In contrast, more than 4,000 people went missing between 1992 and 1994 during the active phase of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and their families still do not know what happened to them. Getting answers to all those families is one of our priorities," said Patrick Vial, the regional director for Europe and Central Asia, the ICRC delegation in Yerevan reports.

The body of an Armenian soldier was returned earlier today in an operation carried out under the auspices of the ICRC. The operation took place at the Line of Contact near the village of Bash Garvand in the Aghdam district of Azerbaijan.

The ICRC had previously assisted with several operations to search for and retrieve the bodies of those killed from the battlefield along the Line of Contact. The ICRC also facilitated the handover operation of the bodies.

The ICRC has working in the region in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992. Following the conflict escalation on  April 2, the ICRC offered to provide humanitarian services and act as a neutral intermediary between the sided.