Armenia’s foreign minister does not rule out enclave swaps after border delimitation

By Lia Avagyan

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan did not rule out possible exchanges involving enclaves between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the two countries complete border delimitation, while stressing that no substantive negotiations on such arrangements are currently underway.

Asked specifically about enclaves in an interview broadcast on Armenia’s Public Television on Monday evening, Mirzoyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan had already agreed on the basic principles governing border delimitation, including reliance on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.

“After drawing the border according to that principle, a situation may arise where Armenia and Azerbaijan say: we have drawn it, this is what we have, now let us optimize it,” Mirzoyan said.

He then outlined a possible exchange scenario. “I have two kilometers protruding here, you have two kilometers protruding there. Let us discuss these two: I give you these two, you give me those two,” he said. “There may be such solutions.”

Mirzoyan said such arrangements could only be considered after the sides first establish the border under the agreed framework. “Before those solutions, we have to draw what exists, understand what we are dealing with, and only then can we do that arithmetic, if the sides consider it necessary,” he said.

He added that the sides could also decide to leave the border unchanged after delimitation.

“Today, the discussion I have just described is not taking place,” Mirzoyan said. “We have fixed the principle and the rule, and we have fixed the documentary basis. The remaining discussions will take place at later stages.”

Mirzoyan said the delimitation process could increasingly become technical once the maps, procedures and guidelines are finalized.

“There will come a stage when delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan becomes a technical process,” he said.

Armenia has one enclave, Artsvashen, within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, while Azerbaijan has three enclaves within Armenia: Yukhari Askipara, Barkhudarly-Sofulu and Kyarki, known in Armenia as Tigranashen. Artsvashen covers about 38 square kilometers, while the three Azerbaijani enclaves have a combined area of roughly 44 square kilometers.