Armenia and Azerbaijan have embarked on the delimitation of their border as part of broader normalization efforts between the two nations, who have been engaged in a protracted territorial dispute for decades.
In a significant development, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acquiesced to Baku’s request to return four frontier villages that were part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. Subsequently, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to advance border delimitation based on Soviet-era maps, a decision that elicited protests from residents of nearby Armenian villages.
The two countries’ interior ministries jointly announced the commencement of delimitation works on Tuesday. Azerbaijan indicated that expert groups are conducting a comprehensive assessment of the terrain, while Armenia emphasized that no territory will be ceded to Azerbaijan as a result of the delimitation process.
Armenia witnessed fresh rallies in response to the announcement, with demonstrators blocking several sections of the crucial Armenia-Georgia highway, including near Lake Sevan and Noyemberyan, close to the Azerbaijani border. The four villages to be returned to Azerbaijan were captured by Armenian forces in the 1990s, causing the displacement of their ethnic Azerbaijani inhabitants.
Residents of adjacent Armenian villages apprehend isolation from the rest of the country, as well as the possibility of their homes falling within Azerbaijani territory. The area holds strategic significance for landlocked Armenia, as sections of the highway to Georgia could potentially fall within the territory to be returned to Azerbaijan. Additionally, the delimited border will be close to a major Russian gas pipeline, and the area offers advantageous military positions.
Pashinyan has stressed the necessity of resolving outstanding border disputes with Azerbaijan to avert further conflict. He recently announced the replacement of Russian border guards, who have been deployed in the area since 1992, with Armenian servicemen. He characterized border delimitation as a substantial shift, transitioning from a line of contact to a recognized border, indicating a step towards peace.
Last autumn, Azerbaijani forces regained control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in a swift offensive, effectively ending the protracted conflict between the two neighbors. While both Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev express optimism about a comprehensive peace agreement, lingering territorial disputes continue to pose the threat of renewed tensions.
