Armenia and Azerbaijan have announced the start of the demarcation of their common borders, a significant step for the two countries that have been plagued by conflicts in the Caucasus region for over a century. The Ministry of the Interior of Azerbaijan stated that experts have begun clarifying coordinates based on a geodesic study, while the Armenian Ministry of the Interior confirmed the demarcation work without any transfer of territory.
Recent protests by Armenians fearing isolation and loss of property to Azerbaijan were sparked by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s decision to return four border towns to Azerbaijan. Protests continued in different regions of Armenia, with concerns over border disputes and potential new conflicts with Azerbaijan.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are former Soviet republics that have faced off in two wars, one in the 1990s and another in 2020, resulting in thousands of casualties on both sides. After Armenia’s defeat in 2020, the country had to relinquish control over significant parts of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, ending a decades-long conflict in the region.
The demarcation of borders based on Soviet-era maps is seen as a necessary step to prevent further conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Both countries acknowledge the importance of resolving border disputes to maintain peace and stability in the region.