Trade and economic activity in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan should be based on the principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Lithuania Andrius Krivas said.

He made the remarks at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Khalaf Khalafov during political consultations between Azerbaijan and Lithuania.

Lithuania supports the fair position of Azerbaijan in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, said Krivas, according to the message of the foreign ministry of Azerbaijan.

Lithuania attaches importance to relations with Azerbaijan, and for the last 20 years, these relations acquired an intensified character, the deputy minister said.

In turn, Khalafov expressed Azerbaijan’s interest in development of cooperation with Lithuania in all spheres.

Deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan highly appreciated Lithuania’s position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The settlement of the conflict is possible only in case of liberation of the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, he said.

Khalafov also said that the EU should express a clear stance on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.