Baku:The State Commission of Azerbaijan has reported that Armenia has not returned the bodies of 33 Azerbaijani prisoners and missing persons who were reportedly killed in detention. The fate of four others remains undisclosed. This information was shared by Colonel General Ali Naghiyev, Chief of Azerbaijan's State Security Service, at the Fourth International Conference held within the framework of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.

According to Azeri-Press news agency, Azerbaijan has established direct contacts with Armenia's relevant commission since February 2025 to address the issue of missing persons from the First Karabakh War. Azerbaijan provided Armenia with a list of 834 Azerbaijani citizens who were taken prisoner or hostage and kept hidden from international organizations, along with detailed information on 104 individuals. Among these, 54 were officially registered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, but only 17 bodies have been returned.

Azerbaijan has proposed that DNA samples be exchanged to identify remains found in liberated territories believed to belong to Armenian servicemen. However, expert examinations found no matches between the DNA profiles of 50 missing Armenians submitted by Armenia in January 2026 and the discovered remains. Azerbaijan remains open to cooperation to resolve the issue of missing persons from both sides.

For progress to be made, Armenia needs to provide comprehensive information on the fate of missing Azerbaijanis, including details of burial sites, and allow access to archives and witness statements. The State Commission emphasizes that such actions are a legal obligation and humanitarian responsibility, as well as a step towards peace.