Armenia has always been committed to discovering the fate of the missing: Foreign Ministry responds to Baku

 YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has always been committed to humanitarian issues, including determining the fate of missing persons, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said in response to a question from "Radar Armenia."

-In recent days, there have been comments from Azerbaijan, particularly from the country's president and the prosecutor general, claiming that Armenia refuses to provide information on missing persons. How will you respond?"

-Armenia has consistently prioritized humanitarian issues, including the fate of missing persons. It should be noted that since the 1990s, the Armenian side has identified 1,008 missing persons. Considering the humanitarian aspect of the issue, the Armenian side has unilaterally undertaken efforts to clarify the fates of missing Azerbaijanis and has expressed a willingness to cooperate in addressing the problem.

Moreover, as a result of cooperation with the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, both the remains of the missing persons and the necessary information for clarifying their fates were previously transferred to the Azerbaijani side.

Armenia's willingness to cooperate on the issue of missing persons is further evidenced by the fact that the Armenian side had agreed to a proposal for a meeting in May 2024 in the format of state commissions on missing persons from Armenia and Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, that meeting did not take place due to the Azerbaijani side's refusal.

As a result of Azerbaijan's military attacks, many people have been subjected to enforced disappearances. Numerous testimonies, including videos and audio recordings, confirm the abduction of these individuals. Despite this clear evidence, Azerbaijan continues to deny these abductions and does not cooperate with either Armenia or international human rights organizations.

A vivid example of this is the letter published on the website of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on September 27, 2024, which pertains to the case of 23 Armenian servicemen and one civilian who were abducted and forcibly disappeared by the Azerbaijani armed forces in Zangelan on October 21, 2020.

Armenia remains willing to make additional efforts to address all humanitarian issues, including the fates of missing persons.