Baku: Azerbaijan has extended an olive branch to Armenia, expressing readiness to collaborate on the resolution of the long-standing issue of missing persons. This comes amid ongoing tensions over the aftermath of Armenia's military actions against Azerbaijan.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Sharafat Hasanov, the Deputy Head of the State Security Service, highlighted the difficulties faced in identifying the fate of Azerbaijani citizens who went missing due to Armenia's military aggression. He emphasized that the challenge is compounded by the extensive contamination of territories with mines and unexploded ordnance, alongside the destruction of infrastructure and burial sites due to acts of vandalism during the 30-year occupation.

Hasanov pointed out that despite the conclusion of the 44-day Second Karabakh War, Armenian military officials, including former Deputy Defense Minister Gagik Melkonyan and Samvel Babayan, have acknowledged possessing information about the burial sites of missing Azerbaijani servicemen. However, this information has yet to be shared with Azerbaijan.

The Deputy Head further noted that General Manvel Grigoryan, another former Armenian Deputy Defense Minister, admitted in media interviews to having held Azerbaijani prisoners. Hasanov stated that such actions violate universally accepted humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.

In a bid to address these issues, Azerbaijan reiterated its openness to international cooperation and expressed its willingness to work with Armenia to resolve the matter of missing persons, urging the Armenian side to collaborate in this humanitarian endeavor.