Russia plays a critical role in the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday, Trend News Agency reported.

During an interview at the airport in Sochi for the "Kremlin. Putin. Moscow" program, aired on the state-owned Russia-1 TV channel, Aliyev said: Russia plays a very important role in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

“This is evidenced by the Joint Statement adopted at the end of the meeting on the steps taken to open transport networks and prepare the delimitation commission for work. Azerbaijan has repeatedly raised all these issues and Russia has always supported them.

After a meeting with the Russian president on Friday, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to start the process of demarcating their contested border following a 44-day war in Karabakh that killed close to 7,000 people last year.

Baku and Yerevan were embroiled in a 44-day conflict on Karabakh – a region that lies within Azerbaijan but was under Armenian occupation– which ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the face-off that started in September 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.