Azerbaijan, Baku, July 20 / Trend /
The European Union does not recognize the constitutional and legal frameworks within which the so-called "elections" were held in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said today, DELFI agency reported.
The European Union does not recognize the constitutional and legal frameworks within which the so-called "elections" were held in Nagorno-Karabakh. This event must not interfere with the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a statement said.
The document also stresses the importance of the sides' efforts to reach agreement to resolve the conflict.
"It is important for the parties to exert more effort to achieve consensus according to the principles of the Madrid Agreement, which is the basis for the maintenance of peace and complete fulfillment of the commitments assumed by the presidents within the OSCE Minsk Group," the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said.
The so-called "presidential elections" took place in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan on July 19, 2012. No world country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as independent and sovereign state.
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.