On October 7, the 4th International Conference on "Addressing the Issue of Missing Persons: Strengthening Trust and Developing Effective Mechanisms" began its work within the framework of the "Baku Dialogue" on Missing Persons, organized by the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The State Security Service (SSS) told Operativ Media about this.

The event is attended by former heads of state and government who are members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, high-ranking representatives of international organizations and foreign countries, heads of agencies working on missing persons, experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations, human rights specialists, as well as foreign ambassadors and military attachés accredited in Azerbaijan, and family members of missing persons.

After the address of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, to the conference participants was read, Ali Naghiyev, Chief of the State Security Service and Chairman of the State Commission, delivered a speech. He expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for his comprehensive support and spoke about the head of state's resolute and principled position in this area, as well as his constant sensitivity to issues related to the fate of war victims, particularly prisoners of war, hostages, and missing citizens.

Speaking about the work carried out in this direction, the Chairman of the State Commission noted that 4,010 people are currently registered as missing, biological samples have been collected from 11,566 donors, and as a result of intensive search, excavation, and exhumation activities in the liberated territories, the remains of 913 people presumed to be missing, including 32 mass graves, have been discovered to date. He added that a total of 273 identified individuals have been handed over to their families.

The Service Chief emphasized that cooperation on missing persons and cases of enforced disappearance is envisaged in the draft peace agreement initialed in Washington on August 8, 2025, and pointed out that President Ilham Aliyev's initiative to create a special mechanism on missing persons within the UN framework is of great importance in this regard.

Other speakers at the conference also held discussions on important issues such as the role of trust in searching for and identifying missing persons, inter-agency coordination, information exchange, and the application of modern technologies.

The conference is scheduled to continue its work with panel sessions on October 8. On October 9-10, participants are planned to visit the Khojaly, Fuzuli, Aghdam, and Lachin districts, as well as the city of Shusha, to familiarize themselves with Azerbaijan's historical and cultural heritage, the "Khojaly Genocide Memorial," and the large-scale restoration and reconstruction work being carried out in the region.