State Minister participates in Baku conference on missing persons

Georgia’s State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality participated in an international conference titled “Building Trust and Developing Effective Mechanisms and Solutions to Address Issues Related to Missing Persons,” held in Baku as part of the Baku Dialogue on Missing Persons.

According to the State Minister’s Office, Akhvlediani addressed participants during the opening session and emphasized the importance of international cooperation and exchanging information on best practices in determining the fate and whereabouts of missing persons.

The State Minister highlighted the importance of Georgia’s state program for searching for missing persons as a result of the armed conflicts of the 1990s and the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war. She also spoke about the efforts made by the Georgian authorities and their vision for further developing the program.

Akhvlediani said that, within the framework of the distinctly humanitarian program, the search for and identification of every person considered missing is based on the joint efforts of all participants in the process and humanitarian coordination mechanisms operating under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“At today’s international conference in Baku, we had the opportunity to present the state’s efforts within the missing persons search program, which aims to locate as many people as possible and return them to their families, regardless of their ethnic background.

“Along with the experience accumulated and the results already achieved, we also presented our vision for overcoming existing challenges. This largely involves further developing the mechanisms currently in place for search and forensic examination, as well as further strengthening cooperation based on mutual trust and respect for humanitarian principles,” Akhvlediani said.

The State Minister was visiting Baku at the invitation of Ali Naghiyev, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons.

The conference aims to further strengthen international efforts to search for missing persons and includes discussions on various aspects of the issue, information exchange and the sharing of international practices.

The conference brings together senior representatives of various countries and relevant international organizations, internationally recognized experts, and representatives of humanitarian institutions, civil society and academic circles.