Border representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan ventured across each other's frontiers in a groundbreaking first.
The Caucasus region has seen some significant developments in recent times, with key agreements and meetings aimed at resolving long-standing disputes and fostering peace.
While Armenia and Turkey have reached an agreement to allow third-country citizens and diplomats to cross the border between the two countries, the Armenia-Turkey land border remains closed. The progress is conditional upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, as Turkey insists on resolution in that area before moving forward.
The Armenia-Turkey normalization process special representatives, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç, recently held a meeting in Armenia. The exact location of the meeting remains unclear, but unconfirmed reports suggest that, five days prior to the meeting, residents of Kapan in the Syunik region noticed individuals in Azerbaijani military uniforms driving unlicensed vehicles into the city center.
Meanwhile, the border delimitation process has made strides in the northern section, from the intersection bordering Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and in the southern direction, from North to South: to the border of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. This was agreed upon in earlier winter meetings. Tigran Grigoryan, a political analyst, predicted that the next border delimitation point between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be near the village of Yukhari Askipara.
However, it is unlikely that Azerbaijan would agree on delimitation in areas it gained after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Tigran Grigoryan also suggested that the agreement on the Trump Route might influence the next delimitation location.
The border delimitation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan were established in 2022 and have previously met in various venues such as Moscow and Brussels. The most tangible outcome of their work was the border delimitation in the north - Tasvush and Ghazakh section in the spring of 2024.
In a bid to address the grim future of journalism in the Caucasus region, where independent voices are under threat, a newsroom powered by readers has been created. This initiative invites readers to join the community and help push back against hardliners in the region.
Notably, the meeting followed the Washington summit on August 8, where the initialling of a peace treaty and agreement to establish the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan through Armenia were agreed upon.
On September 5, the chairs of Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation committees, Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev, held an unprecedented meeting in each other's respective countries. The parties discussed border delimitation, demining efforts, the restoration and construction of necessary infrastructure, and their implementation during the meeting.
In a potential development, Armenia might return control of the four abandoned Azerbaijani villages under Armenian control in a unilateral handover of territory to avoid war. However, this remains speculative at this point.
The meetings of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey started in January 2022 and have taken place in various capitals, such as Moscow and Vienna. The Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation committees were instructed to continue their work following a meeting of the leaders.
These developments mark a significant step towards peace and normalization in the Caucasus region, and it will be interesting to see how these processes unfold in the coming months.
Read also:
- Tobacco industry's suggested changes on a legislative modification are disregarded by health journalists
- Trump's Policies: Tariffs, AI, Surveillance, and Possible Martial Law
- Uncovering Political Ad Transparency: A Guide to Investigating opponent's Political Advertisements in the Digital Realm
- Elon Musk praises JD Vance's debate performance against Tim Walz
