Armenia and Azerbaijan Discuss the Transfer of Territories to Each Other

Artsvashen is located in Azerbaijan – an enclave that legally belongs to Armenia. Pashinyan also mentioned settlements such as Kyarki, Barkhudarli, Sofulu, Askipar, and Artsvashen. Artsvashen is a village that de jure is an exclave of Armenia but has been effectively controlled by Azerbaijan since August 1992. During the Soviet era, the village was part of the Armenian SSR as an exclave, completely surrounded by the territory of the Azerbaijan SSR. The area of the exclave is about 40 sq. km. "There are several options for resolving the issue of enclaves and exclaves. The essence is that the solution should be such that there are no enclaves and exclaves on either side of the border – this is one of the scenarios being discussed. I feel that the understanding in Armenia and Azerbaijan of the need to find such a solution is becoming increasingly palpable because we all understand that another scenario will cause many problems, especially among the residents of these villages: how they will cross the border, etc.," he said. The Prime Minister noted that it is necessary to understand what the exact wording of this solution will be in technical and legal terms, for example, whether a referendum will be needed or not. "First of all, delimitation is necessary, an accurate definition of the territories; we must know what the territory of Artsvashen represents in order to propose the right solution," he noted. Pashinyan added that, in his opinion, Armenia and Azerbaijan have entered the final stage of institutionalizing peace, and it is important that this process is completed by 2031.