The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva met online with the head of the General Inspection Organization (Ombudsman) of Iran Hassan Darvishyan.

Axar.az reports that it was noted at the online meeting that cooperation between the two countries is developing in economic, cultural and other fields.

During the meeting, Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva drew attention to the loss of life caused by landmines planted in Azerbaijan during the occupation by Armenia and said that there were serious obstacles to the return of IDPs to the liberated territories. Noting that more than 140 people have been mined since the end of the war, killing 27 people, the ombudsman said that despite regular appeals to various international organizations, Armenia still refuses to provide mine maps.

Stressing that Armenia has grossly violated the principles of international humanitarian law, the Ombudsman said that the political and military leadership of the occupying state is directly responsible for these crimes against humanity. It was noted that settlements in the territories occupied by Armenia for about 30 years have been completely destroyed. This situation not only negatively affected regional development, but also endangered peace and stability. The ombudsman stressed the need for international human rights organizations to show solidarity, give a proper legal assessment of the situation and make the necessary efforts to bring those responsible to justice in order to prevent the recurrence of such cases.

During the meeting, Iranian Ombudsman Hassan Darvishyan proposed to sign a bilateral memorandum between the institutions, and the Azerbaijani Ombudsman welcomed the proposal. The meeting continued with a discussion on the development of mutual cooperation, as well as the expansion of relations between the members of the Association of Ombudsmen of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.