Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken the next step in the process of establishing a demarcation and delimitation committee, after Armenia submitted a new plan for the process.
Speaking to the press on Friday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that Armenia had submitted a proposal on the process of demarcation and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which he would pass on to Azerbaijan. He noted that it was crucial to create this commission by including issues on its agenda that need to be addressed as a matter of priority, adding that Russia had long supported this initiative, and had offered itself as an adviser. The Russian FM also stated that “in order to create the commission, it is necessary, first of all, to agree on the conditions. These conditions are being discussed now. There are differences there”.
The prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, agreed last November to work towards the creation of a demarcation and delimitation commission, with the hope that it might help resolve one of the most significant sticking points in the search for a peace agreement.
Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were again strained last week when sporadic clashes erupted on the border, resulting in the death of three Armenian soldiers, and one Azerbaijani serviceman. Discussing these incidents, Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan’s patience was not infinite, adding that while Azerbaijan supports the peace initiatives and the demarcation process, “these proposals do not have to remain on the table forever. If they do not want to recognize our territorial integrity, then we will not recognize their territorial integrity”.