Armenia has returned four border villages to Azerbaijan, marking a significant step towards normalizing relations between the two historic rivals.
This development, confirmed by both nations on Friday, has triggered widespread protests in Armenia but represents a crucial move towards achieving a comprehensive peace agreement after decades of conflict.
The return of the villages—Baghanis Ayrum, Ashaghi Askipara, Kheyrimli, and Ghizilhajili—follows a recently brokered border demarcation deal. This agreement is seen as pivotal in the ongoing efforts to establish lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, who have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region since the 1990s. Azerbaijan recaptured the region in a swift offensive last year, ending decades of Armenian separatist control and displacing over 100,000 people.
Armenia’s security service confirmed that its border guards have taken up new positions in the east, in line with the new demarcation. Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Shahin Mustafayev, announced that Azerbaijani border guards have assumed control of the villages. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to the return of these villages, seized during the 1990s conflicts, as part of his broader strategy to secure a lasting peace deal.
Pashinyan hailed the agreement as an “important milestone” for Armenia’s sovereignty and a step towards enhanced security and stability. Despite this, the decision has been met with fierce resistance within Armenia, where many accuse Pashinyan of conceding territory without adequate compensation. Local residents worry about being cut off from the rest of the country due to the strategic importance of the ceded land, which controls sections of a vital highway to Georgia.
In response to these concerns, Pashinyan promised the construction of new roads in the area in the coming months. Nevertheless, his decision has sparked weeks of anti-government protests led by influential cleric Bagrat Galstanyan, who is demanding Pashinyan’s resignation. Another large protest is scheduled for Sunday.
Additionally, a 5.8-kilometer section of the border near the Armenian village of Kirants will be guarded under a transitional arrangement until July 24, allowing locals to use a section of the road being transferred to Azerbaijan until new routes are established. Reports indicate that some residents of Kirants have already dismantled their homes and fled due to the proximity of the redrawn border.
