Azerbaijan: The demarcation of their borders is on the table

A discussion aimed at demarcating their borders began today (23/04) Armenia and Azerbaijanaccording to what was officially announced by the two Caucasian countries.

International analysts believe that this is an important step in order to lower the tone in the wider region, as in the recent past Baku and Yerevan have been involved in war conflicts over territorial issues between them.

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that expert groups are proceeding with “clarification of the coordinates on the basis of a geodetic study.”

Armenia’s interior ministry confirmed the “demarcation works” of the border, but ruled out “the transfer of any part of the country’s sovereign territory” to Baku as part of this process.

It should be noted that last month Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had accepted a request from Baku to return four border villages that had been seized by Yerevan’s forces during the war in the 1990s.

Demonstrations in Armenia

The decision sparked protests by hundreds of Armenians in a region on the border with Azerbaijan, who fear they will be isolated and some of their homes will come under Baku’s control.

Yesterday, Monday, Armenian protesters blocked the road connecting Armenia with Georgia. They also attempted to block demining operations.

Today new protests broke out in Armenia, mainly near Lake Sevan and the city of Nogeberyan.

Last week, the two rival countries signaled their intention to demarcate their border based on Soviet-era maps.

Pashinyan insisted on the need to resolve border disputes to “avoid a new war” with Azerbaijan.

What happened in Nagorno Karabakh

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military attack on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, which supported this territory for three decades, did not intervene militarily, paving the way for the reintegration of this region into Azerbaijan.

One day after the start of the offensive, on September 20, an agreement was reached on a complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh mediated by the Russian peacekeeping command in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan held a meeting with representatives of Artsakh’s Armenian community on September 21 in Yevlakh.

The president of the autonomous enclave, Samvel Sakhramanyan, signed a decree according to which it was decided: “To dissolve all state institutions and organizations subordinate to their services by January 1, 2024, and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ceases to exist.”