The Visegrad Four has expressed its support to the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of EU Eastern Partnership countries, including Azerbaijan, said the statement adopted in Bratislava.

The mentioned statement was adopted May 15 during the meeting of foreign ministers of Visegrad Four and the participating countries of the Eastern Partnership program.

Azerbaijan was represented by the foreign minister during this meeting.

The Visegrad Group, also called the Visegrad Four, or V4 is an alliance of four Central European states – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Adoption of such a statement on the eve of the EU summit in Riga (May 21-22) is of special importance.

Adoption of the statement during the meeting that was also attended by the foreign minister of Armenia – a participant state of the Eastern Partnership program – and expression of support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all Eastern Partnership countries is a serious call to Armenia.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan 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.