In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Rouhani and Putin discussed Moscow’s mediation in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute as well as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the prospects of interaction on the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin press office reported.

The Iranian president expressed support for the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement reached after consultations among the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“The Iranian president expressed his support for the agreements on the ceasefire for humanitarian purposes reached after the trilateral consultations of the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and on the launch of substantive negotiations for the sake of achieving peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” the statement said, TASS reported.

“The sides held a detailed exchange of opinions on the situation in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Vladimir Putin informed his Iranian counterpart in detail about the efforts being taken with Russia’s mediation to de-escalate tension in that region,” the statement added.

“The parties discussed the situation around the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under the Iran nuclear program. The sides noted the importance of keeping in force this agreement vital for international security…,” the Kremlin added.

“The parties paid attention to the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection, in particular, the prospects of interaction on the Russian Sputnik V vaccine,” the statement noted.

Skirmishes have been common for years along the front lines of the Karabakh disputed region, but the most recent fighting is feared could lead to mass civilian casualties.

The two sides were resisting international pressure to start talks to end the latest round of conflagrations, with each side accusing the other of instigating the fighting.

Russia said Friday that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to meet in Moscow for negotiations on ending the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, after Putin called for talks.

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh starting on 12:00 Moscow time on October 10 has been reached after trilateral consultations in Moscow.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but it has been under Armenia’s control since the early 1990s. The territory declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991.