Armenian Parliament approves regulations of commissions on border delimitation with Azerbaijan

The Foreign Relations Commission of Armenia’s Parliament has approved the regulation for the functioning of commissions responsible for border delimitation with Azerbaijan, forwarding it for ratification at the plenary session set to begin on October 22.

The vote saw five MPs in favour and three against, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenia media.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan is set to present the primary report, with Sargis Khandanyan, the head of the commission, serving as co-rapporteur. The opposition has voiced concerns over the regulation, claiming it poses significant risks and could lead to further territorial losses. However, the ruling Civil Contract party has dismissed these claims.

Lilit Galstyan, a deputy from the opposition "Armenia" faction, criticized Grigoryan, questioning why he is taking on such responsibility for future generations. Grigoryan responded, acknowledging the future responsibility but emphasized the necessity of resolving Armenia's issues independently.

“You think I don’t understand future responsibility?! But I also understand that if we don’t solve our problems, no one else will. Or a third country might, and I consider that betrayal. Yes, we need the courage to address these issues ourselves, not delegate them to other countries or forces, which would discount our sovereignty. This is unacceptable and unforgivable. Whether the delimitation will be forgiven or not is less important, but discounting our sovereignty will certainly not be forgiven,” Grigoryan stated.

Notably, on August 30, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a regulation governing the joint operations of their border delimitation commissions, as announced by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry stated that both countries initiated internal state procedures to ratify the agreement. Tensions between Baku and Yerevan date back to 1991, following the Armenian military's occupation of Karabakh, a territory recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan, along with seven surrounding regions.

Most of this territory was regained by Azerbaijan during a 44-day conflict in autumn 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace deal that set the stage for normalization and border demarcation discussions.

In September of last year, Azerbaijan asserted full control over Karabakh after an anti-terrorist operation led to the surrender of separatist forces in the region.

By Khagan Isayev