Today, the Armenian Government began the transfer of border areas to Azerbaijan amidst ongoing protests by residents of adjacent communities in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. These communities are voicing concerns over their security.
The first border post was installed today on the Tavush-Kazakh section as part of coordinate adjustment operations, which are based on geodetic measurements at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. “The work of expert groups from both countries is ongoing,” stated the government. Additionally, the government released photos showing the newly installed border post near Baghanis, one of the four Tavush villages significantly impacted by Yerevan’s recent territorial concessions to Baku.
Earlier in the day, the Armenian military began demining operations in areas slated to be placed under Azerbaijani control. Concurrently, the police closed a section of the highway leading to the three other affected villages and to Tavush’s capital, Ijevan, to prevent disruptions to the demining process by local residents.
This demining operation led to a protest in Noyemberyan, a town that, along with Baghanis and Voskepar, forms a single community. A large group of residents blocked the highway running through their town for several hours. They eventually reopened it following a standoff with riot police.
The protest saw support from leaders of an ongoing demonstration at another highway section”from the Georgian border to Yerevan”located just outside the Tavush village of Kirants. This critical road segment is also scheduled for transfer to Azerbaijan as part of a border delimitation agreement between Yerevan and Baku announced last Friday.
Under the terms of this agreement, Armenia will withdraw from four border areas historically controlled by Azerbaijan during Soviet times and occupied by Armenian forces between 1991 and 1992. For its part, Azerbaijan, which seized extensive tracts of agricultural land from several Tavush villages at that time, has refused to return any of these lands to Armenia.
The unilateral handover has met strong opposition from many residents of the Tavush villages near the disputed border areas. They argue that the transfer will result in the loss of their agricultural land, disrupt communications with the rest of the country, and increase their vulnerability to Azerbaijani military actions. Since Saturday, hundreds have been blocking traffic through the Kirants road section in protest. The blockade continued into Tuesday.
The ongoing demonstration has drawn participants from across Armenia, including Yerevan-based opposition activists. Moreover, in recent days, small groups of Armenians have briefly blocked other national highways in solidarity with the Tavush protesters.
One villager expressed their concerns poignantly: “Our school would be just 10-20 meters from the Azeri border. How can you send your kids to school after that?”
