Access to Agricultural Lands in Kiranzi Remains Unresolved

After the border demarcation, the issue of access to agricultural lands in the Kiranzi community of Tavush Province continues to remain unresolved. Back in June, Sputnik Armenia reported that residents of the village of Kiranzi would face difficulties accessing agricultural lands near the Berkaber reservoir. The main road passed through the former village of Kherimli, which is now under Azerbaijani control.

At that time, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures stated that this issue could be addressed after the demarcation process. Subsequently, the media sent an additional inquiry to the ministry to ask if the problem had been resolved. “There is currently no solution,” the ministry officials noted.

Local residents and landowners mentioned in an interview that the fertile lands, where wheat used to be sown, now remain uncultivated. Accessing these lands requires taking a different, relatively difficult route (via off-road vehicles). Farmers are hesitant to cultivate these lands due to security concerns. On one hand, they fear that areas near the new border could be mined. On the other hand, after the border demarcation, Azerbaijani border guards have positioned themselves very close to the former territory of Kherimli, right next to these plots.

Some landowners have not visited their properties at all since the borders were drawn. Moreover, visiting those areas poses challenges due to the need to negotiate with Armenian border guards.