Azernews.Az

MOSCOW – The Slovak embassy in Moscow has issued a disclaimer regarding recent Armenian media reports about congratulations extended to the self-proclaimed republic in the Armenia-occupied Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan over the 20th anniversary of its so-called "independence" on behalf of two Slovak citizens.

The congratulation is a private initiative of former politicians, the embassy said in a statement.

"Their positions cited in the reports - "first prime minister and first chairman of the National Assembly of Slovakia" - are not true. Jan Charnogursky and Frantisek Miklosko are former Slovak MPs and politicians who do not participate in intense political activities in Slovakia and do not hold any positions in the current Slovak government," the statement said.

Slovakia's position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict remains unchanged and is based on the principle of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, the Slovak embassy said.

Nagorno Karabakh has been occupied by Armenian armed forces, along with seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions, since a 1994 cease-fire ended a war that killed an estimated 30,000 people. Peace talks, brokered by US, Russian and French mediators, have been largely fruitless so far.