Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Argentina, which is also accredited to Uruguay, has sent a note of protest to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry after a delegation led by Chairman of the Uruguayan House of Representatives visited the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia.

The protest note stated that the visit of Uruguayan parliamentarians is illegal. It was noted that the meetings held during the visit and the statements made are disrespect for the sovereignty of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders, the Foreign Ministry told Trend news agency on Friday.

It was also noted that the visit demonstrating irresponsibility and indifference, damages the process of the conflict's peaceful settlement.

The protest note stated that at the meeting held between the Azerbaijan's Ambassador and Chairman of the Uruguayan House of Representatives Jorge Orrick prior to the visit, the latter assured the Azerbaijani ambassador that during his visit to the region, he will not visit the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Taking all this into consideration, the embassy asked the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry to investigate the incident and express their attitude on this issue.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.