YEREVAN. - Armenian Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan on Friday received a delegation led by vice president Gilles Carbonnier of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reported the Ministry of Defense of Armenia..

The parties discussed bilateral cooperation, and the issue of missing persons as a result of the first and second Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) wars.

The Armenian defense minister highlighted the need for the immediate return of all Armenian servicemen taken prisoner and civilians detained by Azerbaijan as a result of the hostilities, and the need to consider this matter solely within the humanitarian domain.

Also, Karapetyan lauded the ICRC's efforts, while emphasizing the coordinated work of the Red Cross offices to ensure regular visits to captives and their correspondence with their families.

Carbonnier, in turn, noted that the ICRC is continuing its efforts to address the abovementioned issues, and stressed that the Geneva Conventions guarantee the protection of the rights of prisoners of war, and the right to respect their honor and dignity.