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Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian clerical leaders adopted a statement after their meeting in Yerevan on Monday calling for a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

"The sides declared their adherence to a negotiated resolution of the Karabakh problem and stated that this decision could be taken only on the basis of international law," Russian Patriarch Kirill told journalists after meeting Caucasus Muslims Office chairman, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazada and Armenian Catholicos Garegin II.

"In this connection, the sides expressed their support for the efforts of the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group," the Patriarch said.

Patriarch Kirill reminded that the clerical leaders of the three countries earlier suggested exchanging prisoners of war and repatriating the bodies of those killed.

"We are adding to this initiative our insistent appeal to the leadership of the two countries to pull back snipers to prevent bloodshed and casualties on the contact line [of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops]," Patriarch Kirill was quoted by Novosti Armenii news agency as saying.

"If the bloodshed is stopped, the moral and psychological atmosphere will change, paving the way for new opportunities of a negotiated solution to the problem."

CMO chairman Pashazada said during his meeting with the Armenian and Russian clerical leaders that all conflicts must be resolved peacefully, and spiritual leaders should encourage the political leadership of their countries in this regard.

Pashazada said Azerbaijani and Armenian refugees continue to suffer the bitter consequences of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He added: "Unfortunately, the negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group have not yielded any results so far."

Catholicos Garegin, for his part, said he was "full of hope that owing to the joint efforts, the Nagorno Karabakh problem will be resolved and good relations between our nations and states, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan, will be restored."

The Catholicos stressed that the duty of spiritual leaders is to make considerable efforts to contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region and cooperation among nations.

"Our previous meetings, joint statements and calls by spiritual leaders have yielded certain results. Thanks to our efforts, no religious coloring was attached to the conflict, and the negotiating process continued and exchange of prisoners of war was carried out," he said.

Garegin II believes that for the nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan "living side by side and trying to lead a prosperous and happy life", there is no alternative to peace.

"Our call, as a call by religious leaders for the world, should sound permanently, and we have to make it heard by our nations and governments so that peace would always be bestowed upon us, according to God's will," the Armenian clerical leader said.

The Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian clerical leaders met on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of the CIS Inter-Religious Council’s governing body.

The Council is a public organization set up by the conventional religious unions of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told the opening of the Council presidium’s meeting on Monday that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no religious coloring, and noone should be allowed to set the religions followed by the two nations - Christianity and Islam – against each other.

Sargsyan also noted that it is unacceptable to destroy cultural, historical and religious monuments under the guise of the conflict.

The Armenian president hailed the dialog conducted between the Azerbaijani and Armenian clerical leaders with the Russian Patriarch’s mediation.

"I appreciate all efforts aimed at a settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict," he added.

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 due to Armenia’s territorial claims. Azerbaijan and Armenia waged a brutal war which claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced about a million Azerbaijanis. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. Peace talks brokered by the US, Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far.