Armed Forces Continue to Fulfill Their Mission: Papikyan Responds to Questions About ‘Enclaves’

The Armed Forces of Armenia continue their service in Tavush. This statement was made by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, in response to a journalist's question about whether there was a decision for the armed forces to withdraw from the four villages in Tavush.

"The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia continue to perform the tasks set before them," said Papikyan.

It should be noted that on February 15, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia agrees to demarcate the borders region by region, reproducing the borders in each segment and subsequently clarifying the positions of the troops, while leaving the enclave issues for the last stage.

On March 9, the office of Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev announced that the issues of freeing the "four enclave villages" must be addressed within the framework of the border delimitation and demarcation process. The message referred to Yukhar Askipara and Kyarki (Upper Voskepar and Tigranashen Armenian villages that are inhabited), as well as Sofulu and Barkhudarly (uninhabited).

Mustafayev's office also put forward demands regarding four non-enclave Azerbaijani villages (Baghanis Ayrim, Ashağı Askipara, Heyrimli, and Gyzylgajily). Azerbaijan considers the ownership of these villages indisputable, and they must be "liberated" immediately.

On March 12, Pashinyan did not rule out that the delimitation process could begin from the Tavush region. He emphasized that at no point has there been discussion about, nor will there ever be, handing over any village in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan.