Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 7 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /
The bodies of Azerbaijani servicemen Mubariz Ibrahimov and Farid Ahmadov will be returned to their families today, the secretary of the Azerbaijani State Commission on POWs, Hostages and Missing People, Shahin Sayilov told Trend.
The servicemen' bodies will be taken to the Taza Pir mosque. Here the bodies will be prepared for burial in accordance with the religious traditions and then taken to the Defense Ministry.
There will be organized a farewell ceremony for Ibrahimov and Ahmadov, who sacrificed their lives for the motherland, at the Defense Ministry. Following the ceremony, the servicemen will be buried.
Armenian soldiers killed Azerbaijani officer Farid Ahmadov on Sept.4.
Azerbaijani Armed Forces ensign Mubariz Ibrahimov showed heroism in an armed incident at the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops June 18, killing four and wounding four Armenian servicemen. The Armenian side earlier refused to return the Azerbaijani soldier's dead body.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to confer posthumous title of "National Hero" upon Ibrahimov July 22.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Astrakhan hosted the trilateral meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia - Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan Oct.27. The parties have signed a declaration, which envisages the return of prisoners of war and takes a humanitarian nature with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the OSCE Minsk Group.
Earlier, Azerbaijan transferred to Armenia the body of Manvel Saribekyan, who earlier committed suicide, while Armenia liberated Azerbaijani citizen Eldar Tagiyev from captivity.
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