The authorities of Azerbaijan show inaction in determining the fate of the missing Armenian soldiers. This was announced in Vanadzor by the head of the Humanitarian Issues Division at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, Hayk Sargsyan, at the opening of a photo exhibition dedicated to the International Day of the Disappeared.

"Unfortunately, the Armenian society also suffers from this problem. As a result of Azerbaijan's aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023, new ones have been added to the hundreds of missing persons and forced disappearances of the 90s of the last century. Moreover, even in the presence of documented and video evidence, the Azerbaijani authorities show inaction in determining the fate of the [missing] Armenian soldiers.

In this context, Armenia is taking all possible steps to present the problem to international structures and courts, including taking into account the fact that under certain circumstances, enforced disappearances can be considered a crime against humanity under international law," Hayk Sargsyan emphasized.

According to him, within the framework of the fight against enforced disappearance, including the prevention and impunity of such crimes, Armenia has signed and ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

"At the same time, today we [i.e. Armenia] cannot only remember and mourn. We have a responsibility to be demanding and a voice calling for accountability, demanding truth and justice. Together with our international partners, we continue to take steps to determine the fate of the missing. The Armenian side has never politicized humanitarian cooperation and has always been open to working with all engaged parties, underscoring such cooperation as a means of achieving trust and peace. I want to assure that the work will not stop until the fate of all missing [Armenian] persons is determined, until all families receive the answer to their most urgent question," concluded Sargsyan.