BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10. The report prepared by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) was sent to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Secretary of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Citizens of Azerbaijan Gazanfar Ahmadov said during the presentation of the "Assessment Report: Accounting for Missing Persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan", Trend reports.
According to him, a letter received by the State Commission in May 2018 from the Foreign Ministry, said that during a meeting on May 17, 2018, with the Director of Policy and Cooperation of the ICMP at the Azerbaijani Embassy in the Netherlands, the possibilities for cooperation with this organization were discussed, including the proposal to express an opinion on potential collaboration based on membership in the organization or the conclusion of a bilateral agreement.
Ahmadov noted that the State Commission deemed it appropriate to hold negotiations with the ICMP with the participation of a representative from the Foreign Ministry, considering the usefulness of such cooperation for exploring other opportunities in this field and international experience.
"In 2021, at the initiative of the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan – Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, repeated discussions were held with ICMP. In November 2021, during a meeting with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Netherlands in The Hague, ICMP proposed cooperation with Azerbaijan and signing an appropriate document.
Consequently, since the beginning of 2022, several online meetings and discussions have been held with ICRM leadership, involving staff from the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Security Service, and the State Commission working group.
On April 4, 2022, ICMP's Director-General Kathryne Bomberger, and Director for Policy and Cooperation Andreas Kleiser visited Azerbaijan. During the visit, a Protocol was signed between the State Commission and ICMP," he said.
With the consent of the relevant Azerbaijani state agencies, on June 5-16, 2023, an ICMP Evaluation Mission visited Azerbaijan. During the visit, Kleiser, and the organization's Program Manager Carmen Osorno Solis were received by the State Commission and several relevant government structures.
"During the visit, an ICMP Evaluation Mission was conducted in Azerbaijan to investigate the fate of citizens who went missing as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan. The ICMP report was sent to the Foreign Ministry, and the relevant government structures prepared and submitted their conclusions and proposals on the report to the Foreign Ministry," added the secretary of the State Commission.
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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