President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has addressed the participants of the international conference themed "Increasing national and global efforts to clarify the fate of missing persons," which is held in Baku.
The head of state offered condolences to the families of the missing martyrs, and noted that clarifying their fate is not only a serious public event, but also a clear example of the value the state of Azerbaijan attaches to its citizens.
The president assured that the government will not spare efforts to clarify the fate of all those who died during the first Karabakh war.
"During the first Karabakh war, a total of 3,890 of our fellow citizens went missing as a result of Armenian occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan. There is irrefutable evidence that 872 of the total number of missing persons were taken as prisoners of war or remained in the previously occupied territories," Ilham Aliyev said.
Aliyev recalled that the missing persons were tortured, murdered by occupants and buried in mass graves in the previously occupied territories. The president stressed that in the post-conflict period, the issue of missing persons has been highlighted by Baku in all relevant meetings and negotiations with Armenia, especially in the Brussels and Washington platforms.
"Unfortunately, Armenia flagrantly violates its obligations under international humanitarian law and does not provide Azerbaijan with information about the missing persons and the exact location of mass graves. The reasons for this are obvious. Armenia believes that this will expose its further war crimes and atrocities," Ilham Aliyev said.
He urged the international community should put pressure on Yerevan to submit information on the fate of missing persons and the location of mass graves to Baku. Aliyev added that this is a purely humanitarian issue and its politicization is unacceptable.
The head of state said that the issue of missing persons during armed conflicts is a global problem. In conclusion, the president highlighted the need for establishing a special mechanism for missing persons within the UN system.
