Azerbaijan had demanded the return of four villages as a condition of a peace deal after decades of conflict.
Armenia has agreed to return several villages to Azerbaijan in what the two countries say is an important milestone in moving toward a peace agreement after two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ayhan Hajizada posted on social media platform X on Friday that Armenia would return four villages near the border that had been under “occupation” since the early 1990s. He called it a “long-awaited historic event.”
Armenia's state news agency quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's office as saying: “In this process, the Republic of Armenia will be exposed to fewer risks related to border delimitation and security.”
He said the actual handover involved “two and a half villages” as Azerbaijan already partially controls the settlements involved, but added that the border demarcation was “an important event”. added.
Although the settlement is deserted, it is of strategic importance due to its proximity to Armenia's main highway north towards the border with Georgia. Much of Armenia's trade takes place through this road, which feeds into pipelines that receive gas from Russia.
The agreement was reached at a meeting at the border of both countries chaired by the deputy prime ministers of both countries.
‼ ️A long-awaited historical event: 📢
Results of the Eighth State Commission Meeting on the Delimitation of State Boundaries between #Azerbaijan and #ArmeniaArmenia has agreed to return four villages in Azerbaijan that have been under occupation since the early 1990s. pic.twitter.com/qoHA9urFKv
— Aykhan Hajizada (@Aykhanh) April 19, 2024
According to Azerbaijan's written statement, one of the issues on which the commission reached an agreement was determining Azerbaijan's border along Gazakh province.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the line will pass through the villages of Baganis (Armenia) – Baganis Ayrum (Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Armenia) – Asagi Eskipala (Azerbaijan), Kiranc (Armenia) – Heylimli (Azerbaijan) and Belkabel. Ta. (Armenia)-Kzilkhakli (Azerbaijan),
This means returning to Azerbaijan the villages of Baganis Ayrum, Asagi Eskipara, Heyrimli and Kyzylkhakli, which Armenia occupied during the first Karabakh war from 1988 to 1994, Anadolu said.
Azerbaijan has demanded the return of the villages as a condition of a peace deal after more than 30 years of conflict, mainly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The momentum shifted dramatically in Azerbaijan's favor in September when Azerbaijani forces launched a blitzkrieg offensive to regain control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians have enjoyed de facto independence in Nagorno-Karabakh since the mid-1990s. Virtually the entire population of 100,000 people was evacuated to Armenia within days.
Russia had stationed peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh after the last major war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, but announced this week that it had begun withdrawing them. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Distracted by the war in Ukraine, Russia risks losing influence in the Caucasus region, which it considers its historical sphere of influence.
The United States and the European Union are also pressuring the two countries to reach a peace agreement.
