International conference opens as part of Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons
Baku, October 9, AZERTAC
The international conference on “Uniting efforts and enhancing cooperation to address the issue of missing persons,” organized by Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, took place at the Gulustan Palace as part of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.
Chief of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, and Chairman of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, Colonel-General Ali Naghiyev, read out President Ilham Aliyev’s address to the participants.
Addressing the conference, Ali Naghiyev provided information about the objectives and significance of the international event on missing persons, organized for the third consecutive year.
The Chief of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan noted that the State Commission currently has 3,990 people registered as missing, and the remains of 218 individuals believed to belong to them have been discovered and exhumed from 29 mass graves found during excavations in the liberated territories.
“As of October 1, 2025, the remains of nearly 800 missing persons have been discovered and retrieved from Azerbaijan’s liberated territories,” Ali Naghiyev said, emphasizing this figure during his address to the international conference on “Uniting efforts and enhancing cooperation to address the issue of missing persons.”
Noting that despite all difficulties, in 2025, the State Commission, together with experts from relevant state agencies, conducted search and excavation operations three times in the Murovdag mountain range in the Kalbajar district — an area known for its difficult terrain and severe weather conditions — the Chief of the State Security Service added: “While search and excavation work had been carried out in the Kalbajar direction in previous years, this year the process was systematic, supported by drone technology, and yielded positive results.”
Ali Naghiyev emphasized that a group of experts is currently continuing search and excavation operations in the Agdara district.
“Another mass grave has been discovered on a height that was a former combat position. According to preliminary data, the remains of more than 10 Azerbaijani servicemen have been identified. As part of the event program, conference participants will visit this area tomorrow,” he noted.
Speaking at the conference, Director General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) Kathryne Bomberger highlighted recent data showing an increase in the number of missing persons in conflict zones. She emphasized that global warming fuels extreme weather events such as forest fires, hurricanes, and floods, which cause people to go missing by displacing them or leading to disappearances during disasters. “Another important issue in this regard is the disappearance of migrants. Currently, about 1 billion people are forcibly displaced globally, with many going missing,” the ICMP Director General underlined.
Bomberger emphasized that cooperation, including the involvement of families and inter-agency collaboration, is essential for investigating the fate of missing persons.
Lt. Gen. Giorgio Battisti, President of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL), noted that understanding the laws of war is crucial for both military and civilian personnel. He shared insights into the activities of the institution he leads, saying that the IIHL, founded in 1970, has launched various initiatives over the past 50 years, including a round table to address the problems of missing persons amid humanitarian crises.
Other notable speakers — including Georgian State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Tea Akhvlediani, Turkish Deputy Minister of Justice Hurşit Yıldırım, former President of Croatia and member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Stjepan Mesic, and Chairman of the Board of the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marko Jurić — underlined: “Peace isn’t about silence. There can be no true peace without addressing the issue of missing persons,” noting that the humanitarian tragedy of missing persons urgently requires a more determined international response. They emphasized that the search for missing persons is the responsibility of all parties, even after a conflict, as established by international humanitarian and human rights law.
Following the conference, a ceremony was held to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between the State Commission of Azerbaijan and the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The conference continues with sessions.
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