Armenian prime minister claims discussion on enclave exchange evolving with Azerbaijan

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday the issue of the exchange of Azerbaijani enclaves inside Armenian territory for the exclave located inside Azerbaijan, was discussed in talks with Baku.

"This is a matter of negotiations, but so far there is no agreement on this issue," Pashinyan said in response to spectators' questions on television.

Pashinyan stressed that the problem should be resolved peacefully and there are several options. One -- Armenia confirms its sovereignty over Artsvashen, and Azerbaijan -- over territories that de jure exist in the Tavush region. Another -- to leave everything as it is now and cement the de facto situation legally.

All these issues will be resolved during the signing of the peace treaty, he said.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.

In September, the Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh to establish constitutional order in the region, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan, having now established full sovereignty in the region, has reiterated its request to the Armenian population in Karabakh to become part of Azerbaijani society.