Will Territories Be Handed Over to Georgia? The Response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The newspaper "Yerkir" reports that discussions have intensified recently regarding the high-level contacts between Armenia and Georgia. During these discussions, Prime Minister Pashinyan has allegedly accelerated the works on delimitation and demarcation with Georgia, including conceding certain territories to Georgia. Specifically, this concerns areas adjacent to the village of Jiliza, located at the Armenia-Georgia border in the Alaverdi region of Lori Province.

In relation to this issue, we had sent an inquiry to the Prime Minister's office to clarify what agreements have been reached in the high-level Armenian-Georgian meetings regarding the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenia-Georgia border, which sections of the border have undergone delimitation or demarcation, or where agreements have been reached to conduct such works, and what specific adjustments have been made or decided upon. It was also essential to know which specific areas would transition or have already transitioned to the Georgian side as a result of such border movements.

In a written response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was confirmed that "...during the recent exchanges between high-ranking officials of Armenia and Georgia, a mutual understanding has emerged indicating the need to intensify the works on the delimitation and demarcation of the interstate border between Armenia and Georgia." Without disclosing any particulars, the Ministry only noted that information regarding this process would be made available to the public in due time.

As the saying goes, ‘the eye fears what it sees.’ Given the bitter experience of Syunik, where just one month after the war (on December 18, 2020), Pashinyan handed over territories not specified in the November 9 declaration based on his 'verbal understandings', including the Goris-Kapan interstate highway, settlements, strategic positions, etc., and with the continual handover of various parts of the homeland to the adversary after the war, we have every reason to doubt and express concern that the case with Georgia may not be an exception. In this scenario as well, the territories of the homeland could be alienated under the guise of 'common understandings' and the treacherous 'understandings' of Pashinyan.