Azerbaijan’s Request for Return of Azerbaijani Soldiers’ Corpses Not Approved by PACE

At yesterday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Azerbaijan representative Ganira Pashayeva put forth a working document in which Azerbaijan requested the return of the bodies of Azerbaijan soldiers Mubariz Ibrahimov and Farid Ahmadov to the state. 

Twenty-two deputies signed Written Declaration No 458, 11 of whom represent Turkey; 5, Azerbaijan; 2 each from Ukraine and Latvia; and one each from Great Britain and Lithuania. 

The declaration is noted on the PACE official website and listed under the category of working documents, but it has not been officially adopted by PACE.

Written Declaration No 458 submitted by Azerbaijan specifically states:

“Mubariz Ibrahimov, a non-commissioned officer of the Azerbaijani Army, was shot down by Armenian military personnel on 18 June 2010… Armenian soldiers took the corpse of Mubariz Ibrahimov with them and refused to give it back to the Azerbaijani side. A few days later, the photos of his corpse were installed on the Internet. Since then, the Armenian authorities refuse to return Mubariz Ibrahimov’s corpse, ignoring the efforts of the Azerbaijani Government and the International Red Cross.

“Farid Ahmadov, another Azerbaijani officer, shared the same fate on 4 September 2010. The Armenian side refuses to return his corpse to Azerbaijan too.

“Nevertheless, during the visit to the region by the International Red Cross spokesperson, Armenians confirmed that they had kept the corpses of the above-mentioned persons.

“…the Assembly calls for the return of the corpses of Mubariz Ibrahimov and Farid Ahmadov to Azerbaijan.”

Furthermore, it is noted on the PACE website that “This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it.”