Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 2 / Trend S. Agayeva /
Azerbaijan has sent a protest note to the Swiss Foreign Ministry in connection with two Swiss MPs' visit to the occupied territories of the Republic, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said today.
"The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirms their visit to the occupied territories, but stressed that the visit was private.
"The Swiss Foreign Ministry has once again confirmed the recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity," Abdullayev said.
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.