The number of agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the transfer of any territories as part of the delimitation process is zero — Pashinyan

ArmInfo.  The number of agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the transfer of any territories within the framework of delimitation is zero. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during a briefing, answering a question about whether a referendum would be held on the village of Tigranashen (Ararat Province).

At the same time, he noted that it is precisely the delimitation process that should show whether there is a need to hold a referendum or not.

, the head of government said.

It should be noted that discussions and heated political debates surrounding the village of Tigranashen (Ararat Province) in Armenia have intensified in connection with the processes of delimining the border with Azerbaijan. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan claims that the territory of the village (called Kyarki in Azerbaijan) was historically an enclave and is not part of the internationally recognized 29 743 sq. km of the Republic of Armenia, delineated by the borders of the former Armenian SSR. According to the authorities’ position, recognizing this territory as Armenian would mean claiming an area exceeding the country’s official borders, which, in the prime minister’s view, creates a threat of renewed escalation. Official Yerevan emphasizes, however, that the practical mechanism for resolving the issue of the enclaves (whether this will involve a physical exchange or maintaining the status quo) has still not been finally determined in the negotiations. The Armenian opposition (in particular, the “Strong Armenia” bloc and the “Armenia” faction) and independent researchers are категорically opposed to surrendering the village. Their arguments are divided into legal and strategic ones. Experts and opposition MPs refer to Soviet maps from the 1920s–1930s, pointing out that Tigranashen initially did not have enclave status and was part of Soviet Armenia. They claim that under the current law “On the Administrative-Territorial Division of the Republic of Armenia,” Tigranashen is officially established as an Armenian settlement, and there are no legal grounds for recognizing it as Azerbaijani territory. The crucial interstate M-2 highway, connecting Yerevan with the country’s southern regions (Vayots Dzor, Syunik) and Iran, passes through Tigranashen. Transferring control over this location to Azerbaijan could block or critically complicate Armenia’s strategic logistics.