Armenia agrees to return occupied villages to Azerbaijan after decades

Armenia has agreed to return to Azerbaijan four villages it occupied during the First Karabakh War some three decades ago.

It agreed on Friday during the eighth meeting of border demarcation commissions, chaired by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, gathering along the countries’ frontier.

According to a written statement by Azerbaijan, the commissions reached an agreement on certain issues during the meeting, including determining the border along Azerbaijan's Gazakh province in line with the border that existed when the Soviet Union collapsed.

The line will pass through the villages of Baghanis (Armenia)-Baghanis Ayrum (Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Armenia)-Asagi Eskipara (Azerbaijan), Kirants (Armenia)-Heyrimli (Azerbaijan), and Berkaber (Armenia)-Kizilhacili (Azerbaijan).

This means that Armenia will return to Azerbaijan the villages of Baghanis Ayrum, Asagi Eskipara, Heyrimli, and Kizilhacili, all of which it occupied during the First Karabakh War of 1988-1994.

The border coordinates will take into account geodetic measurements on the ground and be signed by May 15.

During the meeting, the parties also agreed that a draft regulation on the commissions' joint activities should be ready by July 1.

Agreeing to implement the border delineation process based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, they also reached a consensus on continuing the border delineation process in all other parts of the border, including enclaves and exclaves.