BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 14. Head of the State Security Service, Chairman of the State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Citizens of Azerbaijan Ali Naghiyev received a delegation headed by President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma, Trend reports.
At the meeting held in the conditions of mutual exchange of views, the main topic of discussion was the current situation in the South Caucasus region after the military activities in Karabakh, ensuring safe living of people in the territory of Karabakh, complications caused by the high level of contamination of the region with mines, and the uncertainty of the fate of persons taken prisoner as a result of the conflict.
Ali Naghiyev noted that Azerbaijan is currently carrying out large-scale reconstruction work in the lands liberated from Armenian occupation. However, due to the fact that a significant part of these territories is mined by Armenia, the failure to provide the Azerbaijani side with mine maps or inaccurate indication of the locations of mines seriously hinders the rapid implementation of the reconstruction and construction process. Taking into account that the number of victims of mine terror is increasing day by day, the need for the OSCE, along with other international organizations, to put pressure on Armenia to provide accurate mine maps was stressed.
Referring to the issue of about 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens missing as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan and the policy of ethnic cleansing, Ali Naghiyev said that although the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation made it easier to search for them, it has not yet been possible to clarify the fate of a significant number of them. Demonstrating non-constructiveness in this direction as well, Armenia refuses to cooperate in the search for mass graves of Azerbaijanis under various pretexts.
He mentioned that despite all this, Azerbaijan spares no efforts to establish lasting peace and stability in the region, always giving priority to the principles of neighborhood and peaceful coexistence, comprehensively guarantees and ensures the security of persons of Armenian origin living in Karabakh. The head of the Azerbaijani Security Service also stressed the importance of normalizing relations with Armenia and signing a peace treaty.
During the conversation, the guests were informed that while there is a favorable opportunity for establishing a stable peace in the region, it is unacceptable that some states arm Armenia in order to aggravate the situation in the region once again, as it will lead to reigniting the war.
President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma, in her turn, noted that the organization represented by her can provide necessary support to the confidence building process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and expressed her position on the future security of the region.
Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.
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