Ali Naghiyev: 3,979 people registered as missing due to Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan

As many as 3,979 individuals have been registered as missing as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, according to the information of the Azerbaijani State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons as of October 1, 2024, said Ali Naghiyev, Head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan and the chairman of the commission, Report informs.

Naghiyev made the statement during his speech at the international conference on missing persons.

He stated that among the missing, 3,973 individuals went missing during the First Karabakh War, while 6 individuals went missing during the Patriotic War (Second Karabakh War).

"Following the Patriotic War and anti-terror measures, the most crucial task set by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, for the State Commission is to clarify the fate of our missing citizens by identifying grave sites, conducting necessary excavations, and carrying out exhumations in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation," Naghiyev added.

The head of the State Security Service noted that the Armenian side, which occupied Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territories for nearly 30 years and took its citizens as prisoners and hostages, naturally possesses information about the burial sites of missing Azerbaijanis. "Despite repeatedly bringing this issue to the attention of Armenia through international organizations, official Yerevan still fails to provide relevant information to Azerbaijan," Naghiyev stated.