BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 7. Continued cooperation among competent national authorities, international organizations, forensic experts and, most importantly, the families of missing persons is required to help locate them, Secretary General of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Dušan Kozarev said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remarks at the fourth international conference on “Strengthening trust and developing effective mechanisms to resolve the issue of missing persons,” held within the framework of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons on Wednesday.
He noted that clear political will, particularly regarding the systematic exchange of data and cooperation, is a key condition for resolving the issue.
“The database brings together relevant institutions in our region and provides a mechanism for the exchange, verification and updating of information, while also enabling families to access and contribute data.
“However, the politicization of the entire process over the past few years has led to a stagnation in cooperation with relevant institutions, resulting in very few outcomes in resolving missing persons cases,” he added.
The fourth international conference on “Strengthening trust and developing effective mechanisms to resolve the issue of missing persons,” organized by the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, is being held at Gulustan Palace within the framework of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.
The event is attended by former heads of state and government, high-ranking representatives of international organizations and foreign countries, heads of agencies dealing with missing persons, experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations and human rights specialists, as well as ambassadors, military attachés of foreign countries accredited in Azerbaijan and other officials.
One of the main focuses of this year’s discussions is building and strengthening trust between the parties.
The purpose of the conference is not simply to discuss the issue, but to contribute to the development of practical and sustainable mechanisms that strengthen trust and cooperation, uphold families’ right to know the truth, facilitate information exchange, and expand the use of modern forensic, DNA and technological capabilities. The event will continue until October 10.
