Tehran (IP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his country welcomes the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh as a step toward peace.

Iran Press/Iran News: In a tweet on Saturday, Zarif wrote, "We urge our neighbors, Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in substantive dialogue based on respect for international law and territorial integrity. We appreciate the constructive efforts of our Russian neighbors."

Armenia and the Azerbaijan Republic agreed to halt fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from noon on October 10, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday after marathon talks between the two countries' top diplomats, reading out from a statement.

The Nagorno-Karabakh clashes broke out on September 27, re-igniting a decades-old conflict between the ex-Soviet neighbors over Karabakh and threatening to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey.

The conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which belongs to the Republic of Azerbaijan, began in 1988. It escalated into a military war in 1992.

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Azerbaijan Republic, Armenia agree to ceasefire from noon October 10