Baku: The issue of missing persons stands as a significant humanitarian consequence of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as emphasized by Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration. Hajiyev recently addressed the matter on X, highlighting the continued impact on thousands of families.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, more than three decades since the First Karabakh War, a total of 4,009 Azerbaijani citizens are still registered as missing. The ongoing situation leaves numerous families without the fundamental right to know the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. Despite efforts, the number of those identified remains limited in comparison to the total missing.

Search, recovery, and identification initiatives have led to the exhumation of 889 sets of human remains, with 313 individuals being identified through DNA and forensic analysis. Of these, 226 have been returned to their families, allowing for dignified burials. These efforts underline the extensive scope of the humanitarian tragedy faced and the necessity for sustained cooperation in resolving the status of the missing.

The discovery of 32 mass graves in Azerbaijan's liberated territories further underscores the severity of the situation. Hajiyev stressed that addressing the issue of missing persons transcends humanitarian obligation and is also a matter of justice, human dignity, reconciliation, and achieving lasting peace.

Each identification and recovery of remains contributes to restoring truth, preserving memory, and bringing families closer to the answers they seek.