The 17th meeting of the Coordination Mechanism seeking to clarify the fate and whereabouts of people missing in relation to 1990s and August 2008 armed conflicts and its aftermath took place in Ergneti

Today, 9 September, the 17th meeting of the Coordination Mechanism seeking to clarify the fate and whereabouts of people missing in relation to 1990s and August 2008 armed conflicts and its aftermath took place in Ergneti, reports International Committee of the Red Cross Georgia.

According to them, the discussions included an update on the progress made since the last meeting of the Coordination Mechanism in September 2021 and further efforts needed to clarify the fate of the 122 persons who remain missing in relation to the armed conflicts

"The Coordination Mechanism was established under the auspices and with the technical expertise of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2010, in its role as a neutral intermediary; It brings together Georgian, South Ossetian and Russian participants in a purely humanitarian platform of exchange.

The discussions included an update on the progress made since the last meeting of the Coordination Mechanism in September 2021 and further efforts needed to clarify the fate of the 122 persons who remain missing in relation to the armed conflicts.

The strictly humanitarian dialogue between the participants and their continued joint engagement within the Coordination Mechanism remains critical to providing answers to the families of missing persons, relieving them finally from their incertitude.

Beyond dialogue, a greater engagement of sides in the process of search and identification as well as support to the families is essential to make it more efficient and sustainable.

According to International Humanitarian Law, the families of those who have gone missing have the right to know what happened to them," reads the statement.