President: Azerbaijan always maintained problem of missing persons on its agenda [UPDATE]

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev has said Azerbaijan has always maintained the problem of missing persons on its agenda.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Director-General of International Commission on Missing Persons Kathryne Bomberger on April 4.

“The issue of missing persons was always on the agenda of the state and was also being discussed with the European Union and other international institutions,” he said.

The head of state underlined that 3,890 Azerbaijanis had been missing since the first Armenia-Azerbaijan war, many of whom had been tortured, killed and buried in mass graves by Armenia.

“Although Azerbaijan had repeatedly appealed to Armenia over this humanitarian issue, Armenia had failed to demonstrate constructive cooperation and goodwill,” he said.

Aliyev noted that one such mass grave had recently been identified in Khojavand’s Edilli village, stating that the remains of those buried there had been discovered during excavations and submitted to DNA analysis laboratories.

Noting that Azerbaijan had expanded its technical capabilities in this field, the head of state said that new modular laboratories had been set up in the country, special drones and other equipment had been purchased and the professional skills of the specialists involved had been enhanced.

Aliyev hailed the importance of the experience and capabilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons for Azerbaijan, noting that the commission had been successfully operating in various countries around the world.

In turn, Kathryne Bomberger expressed her readiness to work closely with Azerbaijan to determine the fate of missing persons.

She noted that the organization had operated on a large scale in various countries around the world, including the Western Balkans, and had played a role in alerting families and discovering the fate of thousands of missing persons.

Underscoring the significance of collecting DNA samples and identifying people through laboratory tests, Bomberger stated that she was willing to contribute to the creation of an Azerbaijani database of missing persons, and joint excavations in mass graves, and the professional development of local specialists.

She added that determining the fate of missing persons was important in terms of building trust and ensuring lasting peace.

Additionally, the director-general stated that a number of meetings would be held as part of the visit and a letter of intent on cooperation with the State Commission of Azerbaijan on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons would be signed and put into practice.