Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken a significant step towards normalizing relations and signing a peace agreement after demarcating their boundaries and placing the first border marker. The two nations are working to resolve the conflict over the Karabakh province, which was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since the 1990s but was retaken by Azerbaijan in 2020. The peace treaty negotiations follow Azerbaijan’s military offensive last year, which forced Karabakh’s Armenian authorities to capitulate. Despite protests and resistance in Armenia, the border demarcation process is ongoing, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressing optimism about reaching a common understanding. The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh has raised concerns, but Armenia is keen to avoid further hostilities by defining the border with Azerbaijan.