The Office of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has sent a response letter to the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum.
As Caliber.Az reports per local media, on June 10, Ursula von der Leyen’s office addressed a reply to Ramil Isgandarli, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, which serves as an umbrella organization for Azerbaijani NGOs.
“We have carefully reviewed your appeal and forwarded it to the EEAS (European External Action Service). They will examine the issues you raised and provide you with feedback in the near future,” the letter stated.
It is noted that the Council of the European Union had earlier also sent a response to the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, saying that the appeal had been forwarded to the office of European Council President António Costa.
The development follows an open letter issued on May 1, 2026, when Azerbaijani NGOs addressed European leaders visiting Armenia, including Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, and heads of state and government attending the 8th European Political Community Summit and the EU–Armenia Summit.
The letter argued that the South Caucasus has undergone significant transformation since the Washington Summit held last summer, stating that Azerbaijan and Armenia are moving toward sustainable peace.
The authors of the appeal urged European leaders to address humanitarian issues affecting Azerbaijan, including the fate of missing persons and the presence of landmines.
“Currently, approximately 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens have been missing since the First Karabakh War, including 71 children, 287 women, and 319 elderly persons. There is strong evidence that these people were tortured and killed, which constitutes war crimes. For more than 30 years, Armenia has not provided information about the fate of these persons or the locations of mass graves. The pain and suffering of the families of these 4,000 missing persons is a humanitarian tragedy that has not received adequate attention from the international community,” the letter stated.
It also noted that since the liberation of Azerbaijani territories in 2020, some 32 mass graves have been discovered. Based on recovered remains, the identities of 91 individuals have been established and they have been reburied.
“These burials have provided long-awaited solace for their families,” the appeal said.
The letter further stated that “some Armenian field commanders have stated that they possess information about the locations of mass graves of Azerbaijanis killed during the First Karabakh War,” urging European leaders to press Armenia to question such individuals and disclose the relevant information.
It also raised concerns over landmine contamination in liberated territories.
“Armenia’s refusal to provide complete and accurate mine maps has caused the deaths and injuries of more than 400 people since the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020. This ‘hidden war’ slows reconstruction efforts in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh and East Zangezur regions and prevents hundreds of thousands of former internally displaced persons from returning safely and with dignity to their homes,” the letter stated.
The open letter called on European leaders to encourage Armenia to disclose information on missing persons and provide accurate mine maps, describing these steps as potential confidence-building measures in the region.
By Vafa Guliyeva
