A new secondary school being built by Slovakia in Azerbaijan’s Bash Garvand village will be named after General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, one of Slovakia’s most celebrated statesmen and national heroes, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini announced during his visit to Shusha.

Speaking alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pellegrini expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to visit the restored village in the Aghdam district and praised the symbolic importance of the project, The Caspian Post reports via Azertac.

President Pellegrini said he sincerely appreciated the opportunity to visit the newly restored village together with President Ilham Aliyev and described it as a great honor that the school, which will serve children from Bash Garvand and nearby communities, would be named after the distinguished Slovak statesman and national hero, General Milan Rastislav Štefánik.

The Slovak president also confirmed that Slovakia’s Embassy in Baku will continue serving as NATO’s Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan during 2027-2028, reaffirming Bratislava’s commitment to cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Pellegrini highlighted the growing partnership between the two countries in the fields of security and defense, noting that their defense ministries maintain close cooperation.

He also announced that Slovak companies will participate in ADEX-2026, Azerbaijan’s international defense exhibition scheduled to take place in Baku this September, underscoring expanding bilateral ties in the defense industry.