Azerbaijan has urged Armenian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to take a more active role in resolving the issue of missing persons from the First Garabagh War. According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the statement was made by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, during an address to the diplomatic corps at Garabagh University in Khankendi.
"To date, there is no information regarding the fate of approximately 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens. During our recent contacts with representatives of Armenian civil society, I also called on NGOs and civil institutions to join these efforts to clarify the fates of people whose families have been waiting for news of their loved ones for more than 30 years," Hajiyev stated. He emphasized that despite the challenges, Azerbaijan remains committed to ensuring and strengthening sustainable peace in the region. "Based on the principle of establishing peaceful relations with all countries in the region, we will reaffirm our commitment to regional responsibility, cooperation, and interaction by working both at the bilateral level with Armenia and with other neighbors," he added.
The issue of missing persons remains one of the most sensitive humanitarian aspects of the decades-long conflict. Since the restoration of its territorial integrity, Azerbaijan has intensified search operations and excavations in liberated territories to locate mass graves. The government in Baku has repeatedly called for international cooperation and for Armenia to provide accurate information regarding the locations of burial sites to provide closure for thousands of families. This initiative at Garabagh University underscores Azerbaijan's ongoing efforts to integrate humanitarian resolution into the broader peace process in the South Caucasus.
