Sargis Khandanyan, an MP from the Civil Contract faction, stated during a parliamentary briefing that the issue of enclaves between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be addressed within the border demarcation process.
He emphasized that any talk of a territorial exchange is premature as demarcation of enclaves must take place first, and there’s currently no timeline for that.
“The demarcation process must continue. At some point—be it in the middle or at the end—the issue of enclaves must be addressed. Once all protocols of the demarcation process are confirmed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a state border agreement must be signed and ratified. Only then will the two sides decide how to deal with the enclave issue,” Khandanyan explained, as reported by 1lurer.am .
He also stressed that any land exchange scenario, under Armenian law, cannot happen without a referendum.
Khandanyan recalled that the most recent Armenian-Azerbaijani border demarcation commission meeting took place in September, based on agreements reached on the TRIPP initiative.
Previously, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that as a result of demarcation and delimitation, Armenia would regain Artsvashen and other Armenian territories under occupation. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its focus on reclaiming Tigranashen and three enclaves in Tavush.
