NEW YORK, September 21. /TASS/. The dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia is unacceptable and should be settled through dialogue, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told a news conference in New York.

"We maintain communication with both sides and we have discussed the need to settle disputes through dialogue with them," the Iranian leader said. According to Raisi, "tensions in the relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan are unacceptable and they should be eased by means of a dialogue."

On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression."

Russia urged the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed and return to diplomacy. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the suspension of the anti-terrorist operation in the disputed region starting from 12:00 p.m. Moscow time on September 20. The Azerbaijani presidential administration announced that representatives of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and Baku will hold a meeting in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh on September 21 "to discuss the reintegration of the region.".