Missing persons at centre of latest Baku-Yerevan humanitarian dialogue

Representatives from Azerbaijan and Armenia have held another round of talks focused on resolving the issue of missing persons from the decades-long conflict between the two countries.

As reported by Caliber.Az, the meeting brought together members of both nations’ state commissions responsible for handling cases of prisoners of war, hostages, and missing persons. The discussions centred on humanitarian concerns, particularly the need to clarify the fate of individuals who disappeared during the hostilities.

The two sides reviewed potential ways to enhance the exchange of information and coordinate ongoing search operations. Both parties underlined the importance of sustaining dialogue in the humanitarian sphere and affirmed their commitment to maintaining communication in order to serve the interests of the families still awaiting answers.

According to Azerbaijan’s State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, a total of 3,983 Azerbaijani citizens are officially listed as missing due to Armenia’s military actions. Of these, 3,977 individuals vanished during the First Karabakh War in the 1990s, and six more during the 2020 Second Karabakh War. The missing include 3,209 servicemen and 774 civilians — 3,698 men and 285 women.

Since the end of active hostilities, Azerbaijan has documented the release of 1,702 captives, including 419 military personnel.

In efforts to account for the missing, Azerbaijani authorities have recovered 187 sets of human remains from mass graves identified throughout Karabakh. An additional 309 remains were uncovered incidentally during reconstruction and clearance efforts in the region. So far, 170 individuals have been identified from these findings.

By Tamilla Hasanova