The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has no religious character and religion between the two countries should not be allowed to oppose each other, said President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.
He was addressing a meeting of the CIS Presidium of the Interreligious Council in Yerevan on Monday, RIA Novosti reported.
Sargsyan noted that it is impermissible to destroy cultural, historical and religious monuments under the guise of the conflict.
In his remarks Catholicos of All Armenians Karegin II noted the importance of the meeting in terms of finding solutions to existing problems. "The meetings of religious leaders will contribute further strengthening and development of relations between nations," Karegin II said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.