BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. According to the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan, as of October 1, 2024, the number of individuals reported missing due to Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan stands at 3,979, TurkicWorld reports
The head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Ali Naghiyev said during a panel discussion on "Addressing the problems of missing persons: upholding the right to know for the families" at an international conference within the framework of the Climate Action Week in Baku.
Naghiyev noted that 3,973 of these individuals went missing during the First Karabakh War, while 6 people disappeared during the Second Karabakh War.
He emphasized that uncovering burial sites in territories liberated from Armenian occupation following the Patriotic War and local anti-terrorist operations is a critical priority set by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the State Commission. This includes conducting essential excavations and exhumations to ascertain the fate of missing citizens.
"Armenian field commanders have information regarding the burial locations of Azerbaijanis who went missing on their side. For nearly 30 years, these territories were held under occupation by Armenia, which also took Azerbaijani citizens as captives and hostages. Despite efforts to communicate this issue through international organizations, the official government of Yerevan has yet to provide Azerbaijan with the necessary information," he added.
To note, Baku is hosting an international conference on "Addressing the problems of missing persons: upholding the right to know for the families."
The event began with the address of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the participants of the conference, which was read out by the Head of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons Ali Naghiyev.
The event is also attended by Florence Anselmo, Head of the Central Search Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Fariz Rzayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye Zafer Tarıkdaroglu and other officials.
The event is kicking off today in Baku and will carry on tomorrow in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.
