Armenia and Azerbaijan to Create Shared Database for Missing Persons

Armenia and Azerbaijan will create a shared database of missing persons in a humanitarian effort that international officials say could strengthen cooperation between the two countries while helping families learn the fate of loved ones who disappeared during decades of conflict.

The database will allow Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities to exchange information on unresolved disappearance cases, creating a formal system for cooperation on one of the region's longest-running humanitarian issues. International officials say the project could also help build trust between the two countries as they continue efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement.

Speaking at the international conference, Modern Approaches to Resolving the Issue of Missing Persons and Strengthening Cooperation, International Commission on Missing Persons Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said the initiative is based on a model that proved successful in the former Yugoslavia after years of conflict.

Bomberger said governments in the Balkans established a joint working group on missing persons and developed a shared database that allowed investigators to exchange information and make progress in identifying victims.

"We hope to achieve similar results through this database as well," Bomberger said. "At first glance, this topic may not seem particularly interesting, but the database is one of the vital tools for ensuring cooperation and building peace."

International officials say the new system is expected to improve the exchange of information, support efforts to identify missing people and human remains, and provide long-awaited answers to families on both sides.

Armenian authorities say 437 people disappeared between 1988 and 2005, including 224 military personnel and 213 civilians. Another 191 people remain missing following the 2020 44-day war.

In addition, 22 people are still unaccounted for after the explosion at a fuel depot in Stepanakert following Azerbaijan's military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.

The issue of missing persons has remained one of the most painful humanitarian consequences of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. International organizations have repeatedly called for closer cooperation to identify victims and return remains to their families, describing the work as an important humanitarian responsibility regardless of political disagreements.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.