On Friday, officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged notifications regarding the completion of the internal processes needed for the implementation of the regulations governing the delimitation and demarcation of their shared border.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the tenth meeting of the commissions—led by Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev—was held at the border between the two nations. This exchange of notifications was in accordance with Article 7 of the regulations signed on August 30.
The ministry further indicated that the two sides discussed the sequence of border sections for future delimitation efforts and reviewed draft guidelines for the delimitation procedures. They agreed to determine the date and location for their next meeting through further consultations.
Following the commission meeting, Grigorian and Mustafayev engaged in a separate discussion regarding transportation communications.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on October 31, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller praised Armenia and Azerbaijan for formalizing their border delimitation procedures, highlighting that such progress is achievable through continuous dialogue. He affirmed U.S. support for both countries in their pursuit of a sustainable and dignified peace that fosters security and prosperity in the region.
The newly enacted regulations provide a framework for how the Armenian-Azerbaijani border delineation should proceed. The process will, unless otherwise agreed, reference the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, in which the newly independent ex-Soviet republics recognized each other’s Soviet-era borders. However, the regulations do not cite any specific maps.
These regulations came into effect following Armenia’s transfer of four contested border areas to Azerbaijan in May and June, areas that had been under Armenian control since the early 1990s. This land transfer, which was met with strong opposition, incited protests in northeastern border villages and in Yerevan, drawing tens of thousands at its peak before gradually subsiding.
Opposition leaders in Armenia argued that Azerbaijan should also withdraw its troops from territories it seized in 2021 and 2022, a claim Baku denies, asserting it does not occupy any Armenian land.
Armenia’s opposition has contended that the ratification and implementation of the border delimitation and demarcation regulations are contrary to the country’s national interests. On September 26, Armenia’s Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of these regulations.
