A group of Azerbaijani NGOs has addressed an open letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa, the heads of state and governments participating in the 8th European Political Community Summit and the EU-Armenia Summit.
It was noted that the South Caucasus is undergoing a great transformation following the Washington Summit last summer. Azerbaijan and Armenia are moving closer to lasting peace.
"As Europe deepens its engagement with the South Caucasus, we, the undersigned representatives of Azerbaijani civil society and human rights organizations call on you to support peace and normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia while also paying close attention to humanitarian problems such as missing persons and landmines faced by Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
The letter recalled that nearly 4000 Azerbaijanis, including 71 children, 287 women and 319 elderly persons have been missing since the First Garabagh War. It was noted that strong evidence suggests that these people have been tortured and killed, which constitutes war crimes.
"For over 30 years, Armenia has failed to provide information regarding the fate of these individuals and the location of mass graves. The pain and suffering of the families of these 4 thousand missing persons represents a humanitarian tragedy that remains largely ignored by the international community," the letter reads.
It was noted that 32 mass graves have been discovered since the liberation of Azerbaijani territories in 2020. The remains of 91 individuals from these mass graves have been identified and buried. The burial of these individuals has given their families long-awaited closure and relief.
"Some Armenian field commanders have stated that they have information about the location of mass graves of Azerbaijanis killed during the First Garabagh War. We call on you, among others, to pressure Armenia to question these individuals and to share information on the locations of mass graves with Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
Another pressing humanitarian challenge is landmine contamination in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. Armenia’s refusal to provide accurate and complete minefield maps has resulted in more than 400 deaths and injuries since the end of the Second Garabagh War in 2020. This "hidden war" slows reconstruction efforts in Garabagh and East Zangezur regions of Azerbaijan and prevents hundreds of thousands of former internally displaced persons from returning to their homes in safety and dignity.
"In light of the above, we invite you to urge Armenia to release information on missing Azerbaijanis and provide accurate minefield maps of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. The resolution of these issues can serve as a practical confidence-building measure by Armenia," the letter reads.
The hope was expressed that during the visit to Armenia, the European leaders will demonstrate Europe’s collective determination to addressing these humanitarian challenges that greatly affect Azerbaijan.
