Minister of Defense of Armenia Davit Tonoyan today met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin, the Ministry of Defense reported.

Tonoyan highly appreciated Russia’s role and efforts for a settlement of the military-political situation in the region, as well as the course and effectiveness of the Russian peacekeeping mission.

The parties attached importance to the efforts for detection and exchange of deceased servicemen, captives, hostages and missing persons that are being made through the coordinated efforts of the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Once again, the defense minister expressed condolences to the Ambassador of Russia over the death of Russian servicemen after the downing of the Russian Mi-24 helicopter in Armenia’s territory and transmitted the decrees of the President of Armenia on granting the Medal for Combat Service to Major Yuri Ishchuk (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant Roman Fedin (posthumously) and Senior Lieutenant Vladislav Gryazin and the awards to Sergey Koprikin.