Armenia returns four Gazakh region villages to Azerbaijan

The eighth meeting of the State Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border and Border Security between Armenia and Azerbaijan was held yesterday.

The meeting was held at the border between the countries, chaired by Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. The meeting reached an agreement on the return of four villages in the Gazakh district to Azerbaijan.

During the meeting Armenia has decided to withdraw its armed forces from the Azerbaijani villages of Baghanis Ayrim, Kheyrimli, Ashaghi Askipara, and Gizilghajili belonging to Gazakh district.

The commissions reached an agreement on certain issues during the meeting, including determining the border along Azerbaijan's Gazakh province in line with the border that existed when the Soviet Union collapsed.

The line will pass through the villages of Baghanis (Armenia)-Baghanis Ayrum (Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Armenia)-Aşağı Eskipara (Azerbaijan), Kirants (Armenia)-Heyrimli (Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Armenia)-Kızılhacılı (Azerbaijan).

"At the initial stage of the delimitation process, the parties previously agreed on the passage of separate segments of the border line directly between the settlements of Baganis (Armenia) - Baganis Ayrim (Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Armenia) - Ashagi Askipara (Azerbaijan), Kirants (Armenia) - Kheyrimli (Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Armenia) - Gizilghajili (Azerbaijan) in order to bring them into line with the legally justified inter-republican border that existed within the Soviet Union at the time of its collapse," the statement reads.

This means that Armenia will return to Azerbaijan the villages of Baghanis Ayrum, Aşağı Eskipara, Heyrimli and Kızılhacılı.

The border coordinates will consider geodetic measurements on the ground and be signed by May 15.

During the meeting, the parties also agreed that a draft regulation on the joint activities of the commissions should be ready by July 1.

Agreeing to implement the border delineation process based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, they also reached a consensus on continuing the border delineation process in all other parts of the border, including enclaves and exclaves.