Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Croatia supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and will always adhere to this position, Speaker of Croatian Parliament Josip Leko told journalists in Baku.

"Croatia does not recognize the unilateral referendums and such attempts over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said.

Leko noted that his country supports the resolution of the conflict by peaceful means in accordance with international laws and principles, and supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in this direction.

Josip Leko arrived in Azerbaijan on July 5. The purpose of the visit is to discuss the bilateral cooperation and participation at the official reception on the occasion of the country's accession to the EU.

According to Leko, cooperation between the two countries in the political, humanitarian and economic fields are on the rise and this visit will give impetus to further development of their relations.

Leko said the visit also demonstrates the presence of very strong friendly ties between the two countries. Friendship groups are functioning in parliaments of Azerbaijan and Croatia. Both sides are interested in boosting ties between these two groups.

Leko noted that the visit would be provide an opportunity to negotiate with Azerbaijan in many areas. At the same time, Baku will host the ceremony dedicated to the two dates, which are very important for Croatia - the National Day of Croatia and the country's accession to the European Union.

Leko has expressed his gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his colleagues from the Azerbaijani Parliament for the conditions, which were created to celebrate in Baku these two important events.

During the visit Leko plans to meet with the Azerbaijani officials.