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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed deep condolences over the tragic death of Russian military personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 20, Sputnik reported on Thursday, citing the Kremlin.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that several peacekeepers were killed when their car was attacked by gunfire the area of Chankatagh in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"At the initiative of the Azerbaijani side, a telephone conversation took place between... Putin and... Aliyev. Ilham Aliyev apologized and expressed deep condolences regarding the tragic death of servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 20," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Aliyev told Putin that a thorough investigation will be carried out into what happened to the Russian peacekeepers and the perpetrators will be punished, the statement read, adding that the prosecutor general's offices of the countries are in close contact on the matter.

The Azerbaijani leader also expressed his readiness to provide financial assistance to the families of the victims.

Moreover, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev have agreed to intensify negotiations in line with the trilateral agreements of 2020-2022, the Kremlin reported.

"It was agreed to intensify work on the negotiating track in line with the well-known trilateral agreements at the highest level of 2020-2022, primarily in terms of unblocking transport links, delimiting the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and preparing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan," the Kremlin stated.

The leaders also stressed the importance of consistent implementation of the agreements reached on a complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as attached great importance to the negotiations that began with the mediation of peacekeepers.