UN Disseminates Artsakh Foreign Ministry Report on Implementation of General Assembly Resolution on Missing Persons

The report prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has been disseminated as an official document at the United Nations (UN), regarding the implementation of the General Assembly Resolution 73/178 on "Missing Persons," which can be accessed via the following link: https://undocs.org/ru/A/74/941. This information has been published by the Artsakh MFA.

The report provides comprehensive information on the implementation of the resolution, as well as the situation and urgent issues related to missing persons in the context of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict. It specifically mentions that the issue of missing persons in the context of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict arose long before the large-scale war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh in 1991. Cases of abduction and hostage-taking of ethnic Armenians had already occurred in Artsakh by the Soviet authorities in 1988-1989. However, later, due to military actions, the issue of hostages and missing persons became more acute.

The report emphasizes that, unfortunately, due to the Azerbaijani side's destructive policy, significant results could not be achieved in clarifying the fate of the missing persons as a result of the conflict. Instead of constructive cooperation with the relevant authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani side continues to politicize the issue of missing persons, which is fundamentally humanitarian in nature. Refusal from such cooperation is yet another proof of Azerbaijan's failure to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law.

The document addresses the creation of conditions for the effective implementation of the goals of the UN General Assembly resolution, stating that considering the fact that the issue of missing persons cannot be resolved unilaterally, it is necessary to ensure the active involvement of all parties to the conflict in this matter, as well as to establish a systematic and effective mechanism to set clear monitoring criteria for ensuring progress.