BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10. Armenia refuses to provide information about burial sites under various pretexts, Deputy Chief of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan Sharafat Hasanov said during the presentation of the "Assessment Report: Accounting for Missing Persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan", Trend reports.
According to him, since 1988, due to Armenia’s unfounded territorial claims against Azerbaijan and the fact of its occupation, Azerbaijan has been involved in an armed conflict that has led to a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe.
"As a result of the military actions, more than 19,000 Azerbaijani citizens were killed or went missing; more than 65,000 received various bodily injuries. Over 900 settlements underwent complete destruction, causing damage worth billions of dollars to infrastructure and ecology of the territories and contaminating 10,000 ha of land with mines and unexploded ordnance," he noted.
"Out of these citizens, 3,977 went missing during the First Karabakh War and six during the Second Karabakh War. The missing persons include 3,209 military servicemen and 774 civilians. The civilians include 75 minors, 116 women, and 315 elderly people. The investigation has also proven that 170 Azerbaijani prisoners of war were killed after being tortured," said the Deputy Head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan.
Despite the work of the State Commission to determine the fate of the missing persons, several factors hinder effective search efforts.
"During 30 years of occupation, the territory was heavily contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. As a result, after the completion of military operations, there have been 231 mine incidents registered in these territories, leading to 70 deaths and 314 injuries.
Due to the vandalism committed during the occupation, the infrastructure, settlements, and even the landscape and terrain were destroyed. Cemeteries and burial sites, including the graves of the missing persons, were deliberately destroyed. Therefore, even people who inform the State Commission about the burial sites cannot accurately point them out when they visit the areas," he also noted.
Since the territories of Azerbaijan were occupied and controlled by Armenia for 30 years, the primary information about the burial sites of the missing persons is held by the Armenian side.
"Despite appeals to the Armenian side through the mediation of relevant international organizations and direct calls at international events, the Armenian side refuses to provide information about the burial sites under various pretexts. However, the Armenian field commanders who led military operations have sufficient information about these burial sites. Most of them are currently alive and live in Armenia," he added.
The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan is hosting a presentation of the "Assessment Report: Accounting for Missing Persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan" by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).
The event is attended by members and staff of the working group of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan, high-ranking representatives of the international commission, deputies, senior officials of relevant government agencies, as well as representatives of NGOs and the media.
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