On June 29, Armenia honors the memory of the defenders of the Motherland who went missing during the war in Artsakh – Azatamartiks. The literal meaning of the term «azatamartik» translated from Armenian means «fighter for freedom». This term is used in Armenia to refer to volunteers who participated in the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s.
The period of collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of independence of independent Armenia occurred during the difficult years of the conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed territories in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. An attempt to declare independence on the part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic resulted in a fierce confrontation with the armed forces of Azerbaijan. During this conflict, Armenia sided with Artsakh.
Bloody battles over disputed territories led to a large number of casualties on both sides. But in addition to the dead, the tragedy of war has many sad sides. One of them is the unknown fate of the missing, who are considered to be about a thousand people on the Armenian side.
In Armenia, ceremonial events in memory of missing Azatamartiks have been held since 2000. The Veterans Union plays a key role in their organization and implementation. It was not by chance that June 29 was chosen as the date. On this day in 1992, 80 people went missing during the fighting. And the question related to the fate of those missing during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict remains open to this day.
Traditionally, on June 29, ceremonies are held in Armenia to commemorate the dead, and events are also held in memory of the Azatamartiks who disappeared in the war with the laying of flowers at monuments and on the territory of the «Erablur» – memorial of the military cemetery on the outskirts of Yerevan, where, among other things, those killed during the Karabakh war.