"The exchange of Bashkend with the village of Kerki can be a way out of the situation"

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in an interview with Public Television, presented territorial claims, calling the village of Bashkend  in Gedabey region and some villages located on the conditional state border, the subject of exchange for 8 villages of Azerbaijan (7 villages  in  Gazakh and the village of Kerki in Nakhchivan), which are under occupation. According to Pashinyan, if the issue of enclaves is accepted by one of the parties - Armenia or Azerbaijan, then many questions will arise. Pashinyan stated that Bashkend  includes 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia:

"Azerbaijan raises the issue of 8 villages, and we, in turn, say that we also have a problem with 8 villages," Pashinyan said.  According to him, a number of villages of the border Tavush  region of Armenia remained under the control of the Azerbaijani side. As examples, he cited the villages of Berkaber (Bibish), Aigehovit (Uzuntala), Vazashen (Lelekend), Paravakar.

In May of this year Pashinyan said that the territory of Azerbaijan with an area of 86,600 square kilometers also includes three enclaves. "Artsvashen (Bashkend) is included in 29,800 sq km of the territory of Armenia, and 86,600 sq km of the territory of Azerbaijan includes three enclaves," Pashinyan said at the time and presented his proposals for resolving the issue:

"There are several options for solving this issue: one of them is to leave the enclaves under the control of that side, on the territory of which they are located. That is, according to the principle of equivalence of areas, with the specification of square kilometers."

"Suppose we measure the territory of Artsvashen, other enclaves, and, accordingly, make it so that everything was based on the principle of equality," he said. "Another option is that after the signing the peace treaty, Artsvashen will return to the sovereignty of Armenia, and the other three enclaves to the sovereignty of Azerbaijan." As Pashinyan noted at the time, discussions on this issue with Azerbaijan are continuing.

It is curious that at that time Pashinyan did not speak about any territory under the control of Azerbaijan, except Bashkend. Why is Pashinyan raising the issue of 8 villages of Armenia right now?

By the way, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reacted to the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding the enclave territories.

The Ministry stated that this claim was put forward in order to justify the occupation of eight Azerbaijani villages by Armenia. The official statement notes that the accusations against Azerbaijan in the occupation of any Armenian villages are a lie. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry also expresses surprise at this statement by Pashinyan.

Baku also accused Yerevan of violating the norms and principles of international law, the occupation of 8 villages of Azerbaijan.

Political commentator Ilham Ismail comments on the current situation in an interview with ASTNA.

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Question: Pashinyan, noting that Azerbaijan raises the issue of 8 villages, said that Armenia also has a problem with 8 villages. That a number of villages of the border Tavush district of Armenia remained under the control of the Azerbaijani side. As an example, he cited the villages of Berkaber (Bibish), Aigehovit (Uzuntala), Vazashen (Lelekend), Paravakar (Velikend). Are the 8 villages Pashinyan is talking about really under the control of Azerbaijan?

Answer:  Prime Minister Pashinyan's statement in an interview with Armenian Public Television that Azerbaijan allegedly occupied 8 villages is astonishing and unequivocally untrue. It is surprising that when Pashinyan in his previous speeches touched on the topic of enclave villages, he spoke about 8 Azerbaijani villages that do not belong to the territory of Karabakh and are under the control of Armenia, as well as about one Armenian-owned village under the control of Azerbaijan, and this is true. The villages of Sofulu, Barkhudarly, Baganis Airim, Gizil Hajili, Yukhary Askipara, Ashagi Askipara and Heyrimli of Gazakh district, as well as the village of Kyarki of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are under the control of Armenia. The village of Artsvashen, belonging to the Chembarak district of Armenia (formerly Krasnoselsky district), is under the control of Azerbaijan. Now this village is called Bashkend of the Gedabek district. It is strange that among the villages that Pashinyan listed, there is no Bashkend-Artsvashen, which is really an enclave of Armenia. The villages of Berkaber, Aigehovit, Vazashen, Paravakar belong to the so-called Tavush region of Armenia and are now under the full control of Armenia, as are the villages of the Ijevan region. The Internet pages even contain specific names of representatives of rural communities.

Question: What is Pashinyan driving at by raising this question? What is its purpose?

Answer: As you know, during the last telephone conversation with Charles Michel, the President of Azerbaijan put forward the release of 8 villages of the enclave as a condition, and the forces opposing Pashinyan regarded this fact as another concession allegedly made to Azerbaijan. I believe that Pashinyan's statement is aimed at calming the internal audience, but the Armenians themselves know that these villages are under their control. This is an unsuccessful claim and has no grounds. The goal is to artificially delay the signing of a peace agreement again and, taking advantage of the West's ignorance of these details, gain time to neutralize internal pressure. Pashinyan recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in 86.6 thousand square kilometers, which also includes 8 enclave villages.

Question: How should the issue concerning 8 villages of Azerbaijan and one village of Armenia, that is, the issue of enclaves, be resolved?

Answer: History knows similar problems. The parties were able to resolve the issue on the basis of certain mutual concessions. Strasbourg, throughout history, has been under the rule of either Germany or France. In the end, after the Second World War, Strasbourg was transferred to France, and the Germans agreed to this. In our case, I think a certain territorial exchange is more effective. The village of Kerki in Nakhchivan and Bashkend in Kedabek are located 13-15 km from the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.

In the future, the existence of these villages in the form of enclaves may become a source of additional tension and provocations.  Therefore, I believe that the exchange of Bashkend and Kerki villages can be a way out of the situation.  And the Kazakh villages should be returned to Azerbaijan. The total area of our 8 enclaves is 123.9 sq km, and the area of Bashkend belonging to Armenia is 41 sq km. The area of Kerki is 19 sq km..  If the villages, exchange the mentioned villages, then Azerbaijan can compensate the remaining land plot with land plots belonging to seven Kazakh villages. Of course, these are my subjective considerations, and I offer them as an example. It is clear that the country's authorities may have a different approach. In any case, it is necessary to choose such an option so that these places do not become a source of tension in the future.

I believe that if the Brussels meeting gives an impetus to the signing of a peace agreement, then the solution of the problem around the enclave villages will be the subject of separate negotiations.

*The area of the Armenian settlement of Bashkend (Artsvashen), occupied by the Azerbaijani army in 1992, is 40 sq km.  During the same period, the Armenian army occupied seven villages of the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan and the village of Kyarki in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

Yukhary Askipara - 8.6 sq. km (enclave)

Ashagi Askipara - 9.1 sq. km

Baganis Ayrim - 40 sq. km

Barkhudarly — 10.1 sq. km (enclave)

Sofulu — 22 sq km (enclave)

Gizil Hajıly — 11 sq km

Heimli — 4.1 sq km

Kerki (Nakhchivan)— 19.2 sq km (enclave)

Three of the above-listed villages of Gazakh and the village of Kerki in Nakhchivan are enclaves, i.e. they are surrounded by Armenian territories. Other villages are located on the border. The total area of the occupied villages of the Gazakh region and one village of Nakhichevan  Autonomous Republic is 124 square km., which is three times the area of the settlement of Bashkend. - Author Kamran Mahmudov.

Question: As you said, Bashkend is of great importance for Azerbaijan. For Armenia, 3 out of 7 villages of Gazakh are of strategic importance. In all likelihood, it will not be easy to solve these problems. Do you think that territorial exchange as a way out is possible? 

Answer: If Bashkend is important for Azerbaijan, then Kerki is doubly important for Armenia. Kerki is located on the only road connecting this region with Yerevan. And the terrain is such that it is very difficult to pave an additional road. Gazakh villages are also important for Armenia because the road leading to Georgia passes through them. Armenia is concerned about these factors. Therefore, Azerbaijan must necessarily exercise full control over the Gazakh enclave villages in order to play the role of a deterrent for Armenia. both states will not agree to an exchange with other territories, so the issue of enclave villages should be resolved at the very first negotiations on delimitation and demarcation.