ROME, November 17./TASS/. Azerbaijan greatly respects the position of the Vatican on the settlement of the post-conflict situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia and recognizes its important role in that process, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France and the Vatican Rahman Mustafayev told TASS on Wednesday.

"The issue of the post-conflict settlement and the Azerbaijani-Armenian relations is being brought up during contacts of Azerbaijan and the Vatican," the ambassador said. "We note the very balanced position of the Vatican. Its leadership points to the need to settle problems through a dialogue, based on respect for international law, and this approach coincides with the position of Azerbaijan," Rahman Mustafayev went on to say.

"We respect and trust the Pope and the Holy See and see the Vatican as an important partner," the ambassador stressed.

Azerbaijan believes the Vatican could play a major role as a mediator to restore trust and mend ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia, he said. "The position of the Vatican in this context is unique, since this state is close to Christian Armenians, but at the same time it emphasizes the necessity of respecting the rules of international law. Besides, the Vatican pays great attention to the humanitarian aspects of the settlement. We value this position very much," the ambassador stressed.

He also said that the government of Azerbaijan intended to allocate up to one billion dollars a year for the restoration of the regions of Nagorno-Karabakh that had returned under the control of Azerbaijan.

Intense clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, in Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in the conflict zone, which facilitated a complete cessation of hostilities. According to the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides maintained the positions that they had held, while several regions came under Baku’s control and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line and the Lachin Corridor.

Intense fighting erupted between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the border districts of Armenia’s Syunik region on November 16. Yerevan said that the Azeri troops had launched an offensive into Armenian territory. The highway that links Armenia’s capital with the southern regions and Iran was jeopardized.

Meanwhile, Baku blamed Armenia for the fighting, accusing the Armenian armed forces of provoking the situation. As the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported, the Armenian troops attacked Azerbaijan’s army posts.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held separate telephone talks with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, Suren Papikyan and Zakir Hasanov. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that following the conversations, the Armenian and Azerbaijani defense chiefs took measures to stabilize the situation on the border.