Armenia has agreed to return four villages to Azerbaijan, as announced in a recent press conference. This decision emerged from the 8th meeting of the State Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border between these two countries.
Representatives from Azerbaijan have characterised this event as being of significant import. On the eve of this agreement, the Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister asserted the strategic importance of unblocking the entire transport infrastructure in the Souch Caucasus region, deeming it a significant factor for promoting regional peace and stability.
The United Nations Secretary-General welcomed the agreement while encouraging both nations to continue with the delimitation and demarcation of the remaining sections of their shared border, calling for the full normalisation of their relations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to abide by the Soviet-era legal border that existed at the time of the union’s dissolution. This decision comes one month after Armenia’s Prime Minister stated the likelihood of conceding four frontier villages to Azerbaijan in a push for peace. Russia recently withdrew its FSB Border Guards from the newly delimited border as part of the agreement.
Meanwhile, local protests have broken out in the Tavush region of Armenia, with reports of a two-day traffic halt between Armenia and Georgia. Protestors expressed concern about the proximity of the new border to their villages, handing Azerbaijan de facto control over the territory. More details on the agreement and ongoing events can be found here.