BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24. Work will begin in Azerbaijan's Zangilan and Jabrayil districts to search for the remains of Azerbaijanis who went missing during the first Karabakh war, Akif Guliyev, scientific secretary of the Institute of Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), told reporters, Trend reports.
Guliyev said that as part of the work carried out since May 3, laboratory studies of the remains found in the village of Yukhari Seyidahmedli of the Fuzuli district are being carried out.
"About 4,000 missing persons were recorded, and in this regard, appropriate genetic tests were taken from 15,000 people. On their basis, the discovered remains will be identified. Currently, due to the mine danger in the territory where the remains will be searched, mine clearance work is underway," Guliyev said.
The scientific secretary also added that the search upon completion of these activities will be continued and conducted again in Fuzuli, and then in Jabrayil and Zangilan
The first international "Forensic Archaeology and Forensic Anthropology: Humanitarian Applications" conference is being held in Baku.
The conference was organized jointly by the State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan, the Institute of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Anthropology of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The main topic of discussion at the conference is related to the missing in the first Karabakh War.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.