The working group of the State Commission on POWs, Hostages and Missing Persons made a statement on Thursday to respond to the claims by co-chairs of the international Working Group for the release of prisoners and hostages and the tracing of Missing People of the Karabakh conflict (IWG) that there is little chance of finding the missing people.

The Commission states that both Azerbaijanis and Armenian were missing in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions occupied by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. According to the Commission’s data as of 20 June, 2006, the total number of the missing Azerbaijani citizens is 4581; the number of missing Armenians is 414, of whom 197 are citizens of Armenia, 211 are citizens of Azerbaijan of Armenian national, and 6 are citizens of other countries; 23 of the Armenians were missing in Armenia, 2 in Georgia, 389 in Nagorno-Karabakh, and only 10 beyond the area of military operations. Therefore, the statement says, it is obvious that search operations should be carried out just in the mentioned territories. However, repeated visits of the co-chairs of the International Working Group to the region has failed to help in finding out the fate of any missing person, even despite the co-chairs’ statement on “open doors” for them in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“At the same time, they question their own claims on the people who survived noting there is tiny chance to find them. The first thing that should be done to find the missing people is to search for them,” the statement continues.

“Regarding the alleged inhumane treatment of the former prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, the things have nothing to do with how Mr. Bernhard Clasen is trying to present them. No Azerbaijani authorities persecute or convict anyone for being a prisoner of war. These allegations by gentlemen from IWG are aimed at distraction of the public from their primary duties: search of the missing persons,” the Commission says in the statement.

“The Commission informs the public once again that out of 1388 Azerbaijanis released from captivity, only 20 persons have been liable to criminal prosecution. All of them have been convicted for concrete crimes provided for in the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic. None of them was prosecuted for being a former POW. Therefore, the gentlemen from the International Working Group should devote their short visits to what this non-governmental organization was created for,” the statement says in conclusion.