Baku investigates issue of those gone missing in Nagorno-Karabakh
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People has launched an investigation after several citizens reported about the servicemen who have gone missing in the recent military operations on the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
The investigation is being carried out together with appropriate government agencies and international organizations and its results will be made public.
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up again on April 2 when Yerevan, which has pursued an aggressive and occupation policy against Baku, tried to tarnish Azerbaijan’s image by provoking war and repeatedly violating the ceasefire and firing on civilians.
During the counter attack, the Azerbaijani troops retook hills around the village of Talish, as well as Seysulan settlement, and also took over Lele Tepe hill located in the direction of Fizuli region.
Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on April 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported.
As of today, the commission has registered 4,013 Azerbaijani citizens as missing in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions of Azerbaijan.
Armenia avoids giving information about these persons, mass graves and the people who can give testimony in connection with captives and hostages taken during the conflict.
With such actions, Yerevan also ruins the life of the people who are still waiting for information about their relatives, family members and beloved ones.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.
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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova
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