VIDEO: Armenia Concedes 4 Former Azerbaijani-Inhabited Villages Without Gaining Anything in Return

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in a meeting with residents of Voskepar, indirectly addressed concerns that Armenia is conceding 4 former Azerbaijani-inhabited villages without obtaining anything in return.

"The process of boundary demarcation and delimitation is such that our commissions need to go and determine where the Republic of Armenia begins, and this should become the state border between the Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijani state. Why are we discussing this issue, and why are we discussing it with the residents of Voskepar? Because there are certain issues that we need to discuss. We see that there is a real possibility to start the process of delimitation and demarcation in this area, specifically in the section from Baghanis to Berkaber.

We know that Azerbaijan is vocally discussing 4 non-enclave villages, and you know that we are raising the issue of 31 villages. We are bringing up that matter, and they are bringing up theirs. Even when we want to advance in these discussions, even if we rely on the logic that we have 31 settlements in a problematic situation, they have less. Azerbaijan employs such an argument that the territory of any of the Republic of Armenia’s settlements is not under Azerbaijani control, meaning the residential area of the village is not under Azerbaijani control.

They say, ‘Let’s free the residential areas of the settlements first, then we will discuss the vital areas of the villages.’ Of course, we counter that by saying that a village is not just its mayor's office, but also its vital areas. Throughout all discussions, we bring these arguments, and they are valid. Our position is that we must not allow war; we must not permit the start of hostilities. This is the reason we have decided to proceed with the clarification of the state border in these areas. We do this not only for the sake of the Republic of Armenia but also specifically for the villages of Voskepar and Kiran, in order to ensure the safety of those villages," he stated.

It should be noted that Pashinyan indirectly indicated that in exchange for conceding these territories, Azerbaijan would not be returning, for instance, the hundreds of hectares of land in Berkaber that came under Azerbaijani control in the 1990s.