Armenia agreed to return four villages that have been under its occupation for three decades to Azerbaijan.
It agreed 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)-Aşağı Eskipara (Azerbaijan), Kirants (Armenia)-Heyrimli (Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Armenia)-Kızılhacılı (Azerbaijan).
This means that Armenia will return to Azerbaijan the villages of Baghanis Ayrum, Aşağı Eskipara, Heyrimli and Kızılhacılı, all of which it occupied during the First Karabakh War of 1988-1994.
The border coordinates will consider geodetic measurements on the ground and be signed by May 15.
During the meeting, the parties also agreed that a draft regulation on the joint activities of the commissions 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.
Aykhan Hajizada, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on X: "Long-awaited historical event: As a result of the 8th meeting of the State Commissions on the delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia has agreed to return four villages of Azerbaijan that were under the occupation since the early 1990s."
