ICMP: Armenia-Azerbaijan database to be based on former Yugoslavia model

The database on missing persons to be established between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be of crucial importance for cooperation, Azerbaijani APA news agency quoted International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) Director-General Kathryne Bomberger as saying.

She made the remarks at the international conference titled “Modern Approaches and Strengthening Cooperation in Resolving the Issue of Missing Persons,” held in Baku.

Deputy Chief of the Azerbaijani State Security Service Sharafat Hasanov said earlier during the forum that a mechanism is planned to be established enabling citizens of Armenia and Azerbaijan to confidentially provide information about missing persons, including possible burial sites.

The mechanism, among others, is expected to facilitate the exchange of information between Armenia and Azerbaijan and serve as a mechanism contributing to peace.

"This is the model we helped establish, for example, in the context of the former Yugoslavia. Today, despite many years having passed since the conflict, the governments of that region have created a joint working group on missing persons. They have also developed a shared database covering cases that remain unresolved, and they exchange information through that database. We hope the same results will be achieved through this database as well," she said, adding that the database is one of the vital tools for ensuring cooperation and building peace.