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The issue of missing persons to be one of the most humanitarian consequences of the conflict that affects the lives of thousands of persons who are still waiting for clarity on the whereabouts of their relatives.
The Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the OSCE said in a statement to the meeting of the Permanent Council held on April 16.
In the statement, the Azerbaijani Delegation drew the attention of the Permanent Council to the implementation of the agreement on exchanging data on missing persons in the conflict zone reached in Paris upon the initiative of French President Francois Hollande.
“According to the estimates of the Azerbaijani State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, the fate of close to 4,500 Azerbaijanis remain unknown. In this context, the Azerbaijani side attaches utmost importance to the implementation of the mentioned agreement as a significant step toward alleviation of decades-old sufferings of thousands of persons, who has the internationally recognized right to know the fate of their missing relatives. Moreover, we are firm belief that earliest implementation of this agreement without undue politicization is of paramount importance for finding durable peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,” noted the statement.
According to the statement, since the last meeting of the Permanent Council, the Azerbaijani Delegation has held rounds of consultations with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on identifying possible practical steps for implementation of this agreement.
“During these meetings the co-chairs, inter alia, attested Armenia’s readiness for cooperation on exchanging data on missing persons under the International Committee of the Red Cross. In the light of encouraging feedback of the co-chairs, it is high time for Armenia to demonstrate its readiness to constructively engage in defining the modalities of exchanging information about the missing persons in cooperation with the ICRC and the support of the OSCE MG co-chairs. We strongly believe that the OSCE has a special role in this regard, and consequently reiterate our call on the co-chairmen and the members of the OSCE MG to extend their support for facilitating the implementation of the agreement on missing persons between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this regard, we encourage the Serbian Chairmanship of the OSCE to arrange consultations with the participation of the parties to the conflict and representatives of the ICRC with the support of the OSCE MG co-chairs,” the statement said.
Apa.az
