Pashinyan recognizes three enclaves as Azerbaijani territory

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Karki, Barkhudarli and Yukhari Askipara are Azerbaijani territory, stressing that the enclave issue should be resolved through negotiations to ensure lasting peace and stability along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

“The issue of the enclaves between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolved in a manner that ensures long-term peaceful coexistence and avoids creating new problems for residents of border communities,” Pashinyan told a briefing, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Speaking following a government meeting, Pashinyan said the delimitation process between the two countries provides a framework for determining the status of the disputed territories.

According to Pashinyan, under the delimitation principle agreed upon by Yerevan and Baku, Artsvashen, also known as Bashkand, is part of Armenia, while Karki, Barkhudarli and Yukhari Askipara are Azerbaijani territory.

Pashinyan recalled that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to conduct the delimitation process based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.

He acknowledged that the two sides have yet to reach specific agreements on how the enclave issue should be resolved.

“We [Armenia and Azerbaijan] do not have any specifically documented agreements on how to resolve this issue, but there is an understanding that, ultimately, people should have not problems but peaceful coexistence for decades to come, without the potential for conflict. The two sides should then sit down at the negotiating table,” Pashinyan emphasized.

By Vafa Guliyeva