MEETING AT NKR FOREIGN MINISTRY

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 June 2006

On June 19 NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgy Petrossian met with
the delegation of the International Working Group (IWG) on the Search
for Hostages, Captives and Missing People, including co-chairs Bernhard
Clasen (Germany), Paata Zakareashvili (Georgia), coordinators Karine
Minassian (Armenia), Avaz Hasanov (Azerbaijan) and Albert Voskanian
(NKR). During the meeting they discussed the current activities of the
IWG, the question of more active efforts in search for missing people
and places of burial. The foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
said Nagorno Karabakh constantly assists in the activities of the IWG
and is open for cooperation, whereas the Azerbaijani government refuses
relations with the relevant agency in Karabakh. Hence, the minister
emphasized that the stage of the military actions was the territory
of Nagorno Karabakh and the NKR representatives should have a direct
and active participation in the search for the missing, captives
and hostages. With regard to this, Georgy Petrossian criticized
the efforts of Azerbaijan to politicize the sphere and called the
members of the IWG for a more determined attitude towards this problem
that contradicts to the principles of the humanitarian law. Bernhard
Clasen thanked the Karabakh party for assistance, at the same time he
regretted that former POWs are tried and persecuted in Azerbaijan. He
mentioned that the IWG will do everything to persuade Baku to put an
end to these phenomena. The participants of the meeting emphasized
the necessity for active cooperation of all the interested parties
in this humanitarian sphere. On the same day the IWG delegation met
with the head of the State Task Force on POWs, Hostages and Missing
People. Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan, who is a member of
the Task Force, also participated in the meeting.

AA. 24-06-2006