Azerbaijan, Armenia border delimitation commissions meet for 11th session

ISTANBUL

Azerbaijan and Armenia's border delimitation commissions convened for the 11th time, state media reported Thursday.

The discussions, held at the border between the two countries, were chaired by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Azerbaijani state-run Azertac reported, citing a statement on the results of the meeting.

The meeting focused on advancing efforts to define and demarcate the border between the two nations.

Officials continued talks on the sequence of border sections to be addressed in the next stage of delimitation.

Both sides agreed to initiate the process from the northern point where the borders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia intersect, progressing southward to the border with Iran.

Draft instructions on the procedures for conducting delimitation work were also reviewed.

The parties agreed to finalize the date and location of the next meeting through working-level discussions.

The meeting is part of efforts to address longstanding border disputes between the neighboring countries.

Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have persisted since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, along with seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was reclaimed by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which concluded with a Russian-brokered peace agreement that initiated the process of normalization and border demarcation talks.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty over Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation," after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.