On the International Day of the Missing, the event was held in Tskhinval on Friday, which brought together relatives and friends of the missing, the public, and representatives of the Republic's leadership.
Chairperson of the public organization "Memory and Hope" Lidiya Kudzieva has noted that many families to this day do not have the opportunity to learn about the fate of their loved ones.
"We thank everyone who found the time and joined us today, August 30 is a significant date for us, we always remember our loved ones and have been waiting for answers about their fate for many years. Each of us bears the burden of our pain, every day of waiting for us is an eternity," Lidiya Kudzieva said.
Representatives of the public organization expressed gratitude to the authorities of South Ossetia and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their support over many years.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia, Akhsar Dzhioev, addressed the audience.
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is doing everything possible to find out the fate of the people who went missing.
This terrible tragedy has not bypassed South Ossetia, which has a considerable number of the missing people. Thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross and other interested agencies, we are working to at least move this issue forward a little and get answers to the questions of interest," Dzhioev said.
He has expressed hope that in the near future it will be possible to obtain some information to ease the fate and pain of all the relatives and friends of the missing.
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Republic, Dragoslav Blazhevich, has noted that he expresses solidarity with the families of those who went missing in 1990 - 2008.
According to him, the right of such families to know the fate and whereabouts of their relatives is guaranteed and protected by international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, the relevance of which is beyond doubt years later.
"Dear families of the missing persons, the disappearance of a loved one is a heavy loss, however, it is a reality for many people around the world. More than 2,000 people go missing around the world and armed conflicts claim the lives of hundreds of people every year. The price that people have to pay is unthinkable," Blazevic said.
According to him, the ICRC, together with its partners in the coordination mechanism on the missing persons, the authorities and all those actively involved in the process of clarifying the fate of the missing persons, do not lose hope that the families will receive answers to their questions.
Acting Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative for Post-Conflict Resolution Yegor Kochiev has assured the families of the missing persons that the work to clarify the fate of the South Ossetian citizens will continue.
"Unfortunately, the answers to most of the questions on clarifying the fate of missing persons are on the territory of Georgia, which causes very serious difficulties. Naturally, the International Committee of the Red Cross is helping us with this.
For my part, I want to assure everyone that we demand, including from them, more serious work with our counterparts from Georgia to exert maximum pressure so that we finally receive at least some kind of answer," Kochiev said.
Before the action, a service dedicated to the missing citizens was held in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It should be noted that in South Ossetia, more than 130 people are listed to be missing from 1989 to 2008.
The overwhelming majority of the missing are people who disappeared during the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia.
