Armenia returns four border villages to Azerbaijan

YEREVAN

Armenia has returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it had seized decades ago, officials in Yerevan and Baku confirmed Friday, in a key step towards normalizing ties between the historic rivals.

The two countries in the Caucasus fought two wars in the 1990s and in 2020 for control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan recaptured it last year in a lightning offensive, ending three decades of Armenian separatist rule and prompting more than 100,000 locals to flee into Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had agreed in March to return the four abandoned villages seized by his country in the 1990s, as part of efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement between the countries.

On May 16, they agreed on the demarcation of 12.7 kilometers (almost seven miles) of their border that returned the villages of Baghanis Ayrum, Ashaghi Askipara, Kheyrimli and Ghizilhajili to Azerbaijan.

Armenia's security service confirmed Friday that its border guards had "officially" taken up new positions reflecting the border deal and ceded the villages to Azerbaijan's control.

Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev meanwhile announced that his country's border guards had taken control of the four settlements.

The premier's move has sparked weeks of anti-government protests in Armenia, with thousands of demonstrators led by cleric Bagrat Galstanyan demanding Pashinyan's resignation.

A fresh anti-government protest is scheduled for Sunday.

Pashinyan last week described the deal as a "very important milestone for further strengthening Armenia's sovereignty and independence."

The territory is of strategic importance for Armenia because it controls sections of a vital highway to Georgia.

'Realistic vision for Armenia'

Speaking in parliament on May 22, Pashinyan acknowledged significant governance challenges in his country and the failure to develop a realistic vision for Armenia.

"We are searching for a homeland even in our homeland. Our political message now is this: Dear citizens, citizens of the Republic of Armenia, we need to stop our quest for 'historic Armenia' because we have found this homeland. This homeland is the Republic of Armenia, which now encompasses 29,743 square kilometers of sovereign territory,” Pashinyan stated.

Pashinyan noted that his country failed to set a program envisioning “what Armenia would be like 20 years after gaining independence in 1991,” pursuing disputed lands, rather than focusing on real development within the existing borders.

He said that the "search for lost Armenia" is one of the most significant issues in Armenia's social psychology.

Armenia couldn't develop a state vision and understanding that could indicate a path forward for solving problems, and this reflected in people's attitudes, the prime minister said.

Responding to government critics, the Armenian leader said some people "dream of [the Turkish province at the border with Armenia] Kars while sitting in a cafe in Yerevan," warning that this mindset would result in "poor governance of what is already in hand."