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ICMP considers Azerbaijan-Armenia cooperation on missing persons essential

30 June 2026 11:27 (UTC +04:00)

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) considers cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia on determining the fate of missing persons to be important, Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), said during her speech at the international conference titled "Modern Approaches to Resolving the Issue of Missing Persons and Strengthening Cooperation", held within the framework of cooperation with the ICMP, APA reports.

She expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan and stressed that this process is important for determining the fate of missing persons:

"We are pleased to see the ongoing efforts to modernize the existing legislation in the Azerbaijani context. This is important for all states because, following conflicts and large-scale cases of missing persons, countries usually do not have sufficiently appropriate legislation to address this issue.

The report we have prepared and the assessment we conducted at Azerbaijan's invitation show that there is a clear need for progress in this area.

A second very important area of cooperation is the cooperation between the State Commission on Missing Persons and the families of missing persons. In my view, this is the most important area of cooperation.

As we know, under international law, states are not only obliged to investigate the fate of missing persons and determine their whereabouts. They are also obliged to ensure the human rights of the families of missing persons. These families, following armed conflicts, are usually made up primarily of women and children.

These rights include the right to know the truth, the right to justice, and the right to receive compensation. Therefore, it is very important that the families of missing persons are able to exercise their rights and actively participate in the search and identification process."

She highly praised the steps taken by Azerbaijan toward peace and noted that the signing of a sustainable peace agreement is of great importance.