The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Holy Armenian Catholicos, and the Grand Mufti of the Caucasus signed an agreement on the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan's Baku on Monday.
"It is ready and signed. It is very important," Patriarch Kirill said, adding the agreement would push for reconciliation and attempt to create an atmosphere of trust in the region.
He also said the deal may encourage political leaders to come to an agreement over the dispute.
The Russian Church leader also said while religious leaders do not have political power, they can send "an important signal to believers."
The agenda of the April 26-27 Baku religious summit includes discussions of globalization and the way it affects religion and traditional values, the problems of terrorism and extremism, as well as the global economic crisis.
Armenian Church leader Karekin II is taking part in the religious summit in Azerbaijan's capital for the first time. Experts say his visit increases the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
A long-standing dispute over Nagorny Karabakh, a breakaway region inside Azerbaijan with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, has been a sticking point in relations between the two South Caucasus states.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in the region since a brutal war between the two countries over the disputed enclave in early 1990s, which claimed more than 30,000 lives on both sides. Karabakh has since remained under Armenian control. Baku has fiercely opposed any decision on Karabakh that could be interpreted as giving the region independence from Azerbaijan.
The Nagorny Karabakh issue is an obstacle to opening borders and reestablishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, which has close ties with Azerbaijan.
BAKU, April 26 (RIA Novosti)
