The delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will close its office in Baku on September 3 at the request of the Azerbaijani authorities.
As reported by Armenpress, this was stated at a briefing for journalists by the head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia Daphne Maren.
“Yes, unfortunately, we will have to close our delegation in Baku on September 3 at the request of the authorities. But we do not believe that this will exhaust our opportunities to work on a number of issues. We will continue to offer our services in any role as a neutral intermediary to facilitate the resolution of the issue of missing persons. This does not mean that we will never again communicate with the Azerbaijani authorities. Discussions are ongoing, and we believe that new opportunities for cooperation may arise,” Maren noted.
According to him, the work done in recent years and decades will not be forgotten.
“Now is a decisive moment, also related to the possible signing of a peace agreement. The draft states that ongoing work and coordination with the international organization will be conducted on the issue of missing persons. But this does not mean that we will not maintain contacts with the Baku authorities. We will continue to try to maintain neutrality and offer our mediation role in a number of issues. Of course, one of the most important issues is the issue of missing persons,” the head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia emphasized.