Brussels: The office of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has sent a letter to the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, APA reports. The communication was addressed to Ramil Iskandarli, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, responding to an appeal from Azerbaijani NGOs.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Ursula von der Leyen's office informed the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum that the appeal had been forwarded to the European External Action Service (EEAS) for further examination and feedback. This step follows a previous response from the Council of the European Union, which also forwarded the NGO's concerns to Ant³nio Costa, President of the European Council.

The appeal, initially addressed on May 1, 2026, to European leaders visiting Armenia, highlighted the ongoing transformation in the South Caucasus, with Azerbaijan and Armenia working towards sustainable peace. The letter urged European leaders to address key humanitarian issues affecting Azerbaijan, such as missing persons and landmines.

The Azerbaijani NGOs emphasized that approximately 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens remain missing since the First Karabakh War. The letter alleged war crimes, citing evidence of torture and execution, and criticized Armenia for not providing information on the fate of the missing persons or the locations of mass graves over the past 30 years. Additionally, the letter highlighted the discovery of 32 mass graves in Azerbaijan's liberated territories since 2020, with ongoing efforts to identify the remains.

Concerns were also raised about landmine contamination in Azerbaijan's liberated regions. The appeal criticized Armenia's refusal to provide accurate mine maps, which has resulted in over 400 casualties since the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020. The letter argued that this impedes reconstruction and the safe return of internally displaced persons.

The Open Letter called on European leaders to pressure Armenia to disclose information on missing persons and provide accurate mine maps. The Azerbaijani NGOs emphasized that resolving these issues could serve as confidence-building measures in the region.