On Tuesday, Armenia and Azerbaijan took a significant step towards normalizing relations after a bitter conflict over territory. Experts from both countries collaborated to demarcate their boundaries, and the first border marker was placed. This move signifies the countries’ progress towards a peace treaty following Azerbaijan’s regaining full control of the Karabakh province, which had been under the authority of ethnic Armenian forces since the 1990s. A six-week war in 2020 resulted in Azerbaijan retaking vast portions of the breakaway region, and in September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a swift offensive that forced Karabakh’s Armenian authorities to capitulate in negotiations mediated by Russian forces.
Armenia and Azerbaijan recently reached an agreement on a border stretch that will traverse four Armenian villages in the Tavush province, implying that Armenia will cede some territory to Azerbaijan. The first border marker was installed, according to Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities on Tuesday. Its precise location is still unknown. Protests erupted in Armenia, with demonstrators blocking roads in the northeastern region where the planned border would pass. They also set up roadblocks on two important routes elsewhere in the country, including one leading to neighboring Georgia. Cars and trucks were shown blocking country lanes in images released by Armenian and Russian media, with protesters gathered around them.
Despite the protests, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Baku and Yerevan are nearing a shared understanding of the parameters of a peace agreement. Aliyev remarked, “We are close, maybe closer than ever before (to signing a peace agreement).” Last month, Armenia’s prime minister emphasized the urgent need to define the border with Azerbaijan to prevent further bloodshed. Many residents of Armenia’s border regions have resisted demarcation efforts, perceiving them as Azerbaijan’s encroachment on their territory.
Earlier this month, Russia began withdrawing its troops from Karabakh, where they had been stationed as peacekeepers under a Moscow-brokered truce that ended the 2020 war. The peacekeepers’ responsibilities included ensuring unrestricted passage on the only road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. However, in late 2022, Azerbaijan began blocking the road, alleging that Armenians were using it to transport weapons and smuggle minerals, while Russian forces did not intervene. Following months of severe food and medicine shortages in Karabakh caused by the blockade, Azerbaijan launched its offensive last year. Following Azerbaijan’s recapture of complete control of Karabakh, the vast majority of its approximately 120,000 population fled to Armenia. However, Azerbaijan stated that they are welcome to remain and promised to uphold their human rights.
