Ali Nagiyev, head of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service and chair of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, stated that the trilateral declaration signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States on August 8, as well as earlier meetings and data exchanges, have created renewed hope in addressing the issue of missing persons.
Speaking at an international conference titled “Combining efforts and expanding cooperation to solve the problems of missing persons,” Nagiyev expressed optimism that targeted dialogue with the Armenian side will continue successfully and help clarify the fate of missing individuals from both sides, according to Trend.az .
He noted that following these discussions, an international body has agreed to provide Azerbaijan with a free electronic database and assist in searches, exhumations, identifications, expert training, and the use of new technologies and methodologies to resolve these cases.
In June, representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions on missing persons held a meeting. A previous meeting took place on February 7, 2025, at the Armenia–Azerbaijan border. Both sides exchanged views and agreed to continue discussions based on mutual consent.
Official data indicates that since the early 1990s, 993 Armenians have been considered missing. Following the 2020 war, about 200 Armenian servicemen also went missing. Armenia has since returned the remains of 51 Azerbaijanis from the 2020 conflict, as well as the bones of 140 Azerbaijanis killed in the 1990s.
