MOSCOW, November 14. / TASS /. The implementation of the agreements enshrined in the trilateral statement on Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed during telephone contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin press service said on Saturday.

"During the regular telephone contacts between the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, practical aspects of the implementation of the agreements recorded in the trilateral statement on Nagorno-Karabakh of November 9 were discussed.

They expressed satisfaction with the fact that the ceasefire is being respected, and the situation on the contact line is quite calm, the statement said.

Putin also stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of Christian churches in the areas of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone that passed to Azerbaijan.

"In a conversation with Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, in particular, drew attention to the fact that Christian churches and monasteries are located in the regions that are returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan in accordance with the trilateral declaration [on Nagorno-Karabakh]. In this regard, he stressed the importance of ensuring the safety and normal church life of these shrines," the statement said.

Aliyev "showed understanding on this matter and said that the Azerbaijani side will carry on in this direction," the press service added.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict reported numerous casualties, among them civilians.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a full ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, starting from November 10. Under the peace deal, the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces will remain at their current positions while Russian peacekeepers will be deployed to the region.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.