Slovak President Lays Foundation Stone for Štefánik-Named School in Karabakh During Azerbaijan Visit

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev jointly laid the foundation stone for a new school in the Karabakh region, to be named after Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a revered Slovak national hero and co-founder of Czechoslovakia. The ceremony took place during Pellegrini's official visit to Azerbaijan and forms part of a broader 'smart village' development project in the region. Karabakh, a territory long disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, came under full Azerbaijani control in 2023 following a military offensive that ended decades of conflict. Štefánik, a general, diplomat, and astronomer who helped establish Czechoslovakia in 1918, is one of Slovakia's most celebrated historical figures, making the naming of the school a symbolic gesture of Slovak-Azerbaijani friendship. The visit signals Slovakia's interest in strengthening bilateral ties with Azerbaijan, a country that has become an increasingly important energy supplier to European nations seeking alternatives to Russian gas.