“Azerbaijan has handed over the remains of more than 2,000 Armenian servicemen to Armenia,” Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Fariz Rzayev said at the Fourth International Conference held within the framework of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons, APA reports.
He said Azerbaijan has carried out search operations since November 2020 despite security challenges and the threat posed by landmines.
“As a result, the remains of more than 2,000 Armenian servicemen have been handed over to the Armenian side. This demonstrates our commitment to a responsible humanitarian approach and to treating with dignity all persons who died during the conflict,” Fariz Rzayev said.
The deputy minister noted that more than 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens went missing following the First and Second Karabakh wars.
“For thousands of families, this uncertainty has continued for years and even decades. After the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation, a number of burial sites containing human remains were identified. The remains were examined, individuals were identified and buried with dignity. These results are of extremely great importance to those families. Nevertheless, the fate of the vast majority of missing persons remains unknown,” he stressed.
Fariz Rzayev said landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to make fieldwork dangerous.
According to him, international humanitarian law provides the legal basis for efforts to determine the fate of missing persons: “Parties to an armed conflict must take all feasible measures to determine the fate of missing persons, provide and share relevant information, search for the dead and treat human remains with respect. The right of families to know the fate of their relatives is not a voluntary gesture based on goodwill. The obligation to investigate and provide answers remains in force long after hostilities have ended."
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