The villages of Baganys Ayrim, Ashagy Askipara, Kheyrimli and Gyzylhajily of Gazakh district, which were under occupation for 30 years, were officially returned to Azerbaijan today.
This agreement was implemented on the basis of the agreement reached on April 19, 2024 by the Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation commission. As a result of the delimitation works, a 12.7 km long border line was determined and the territories of 4 villages of Gazakh district - Baganys Ayrim, Ashagy Askipara, Kheyrimli and Gyzylhajily (6.5 square kilometers) were returned to Azerbaijan.
From today, the territories of those villages were taken under control by the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
This event has great historical significance. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed on the delimitation of the state border. Now the 12.7 km-long part of the border is not a conventional, but a real border line and is mutually recognized.
The return of 4 villages of Gazakh without firing a single shot is another important step in ensuring the sovereignty of Azerbaijan.
The implementation of the agreement reached by the delimitation commissions opens a new page in the history of not only the two states, but also the South Caucasus in general, and creates an atmosphere of trust between the two countries. At the same time, it proves the effectiveness of official Baku's proposal to conduct the peace talks and delimitation process without intermediaries and without a third party.
Note that the process is implemented on the basis of logical and fair proposals put forward by the Azerbaijani side.
This historical event should also be recorded in the assets of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as a state figure. Because it is precisely the Azerbaijani state, which is developing along the lines defined by the President of Azerbaijan in both the military and diplomatic fields, and the Azerbaijani Army, with the support of the Azerbaijani people, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander, made Armenia respect international law and implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The statement of the head of the state, whose both words and deeds always align, that 4 villages of Gazakh will be liberated, also came true. Those villages, which have been under Armenia's illegal occupation since 1992, were returned to Azerbaijan by the will of the state's leader.
Earlier this year, in January, during an interview with local television channels, the head of state clearly stated his position on the eight enclaves and non-enclave villages of Gazakh, saying, "Those villages are not enclaves, they should unconditionally be returned to Azerbaijan."
As it can be seen, what the President stated in his interview became reality three months later, and four non-enclave villages of Gazakh were returned to Azerbaijan. The head of state, who demonstrated a clear, consecutive, and comprehensive approach regarding the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace treaty and the delimitation process, has also talked aabout four non-enclave villages of Gazakh in that interview.
"Those villages which are enclaves - because one of Armenia's enclaved villages is within Azerbaijani territory - a separate expert group should be established in relation with those villages and it should be discussed. We believe that all enclaves should be returned. Conditions should be provided on the roads leading to these enclaves, and people living there should be resettled," President Aliyev stated.
That's why it's certain that in the near future, the delimitation commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia will continue their work in other directions of the conventional border, and a fair solution will be found concerning Azerbaijan's enclave villages, as has been the case until today.
It's essential to acknowledge the constructive approach demonstrated by the Armenian government in recent agreements regarding the delimitation process. Of course, this position didn't emerge out of thin air. The first condition for this is Azerbaijan's consistent reliance on international law, justice, and interstate relations. Yerevan has begun to understand that Azerbaijan's demands and requests are justified, substantial, and based on relevant documents and signed agreements. Yerevan has also come to understand that if Azerbaijan's legitimate demand is not met, it will obtain it through other means. The events since the autumn of 2020 are clear evidence of this.
Hopefully, this constructiveness of Armenia will provide a positive background to the peace agreement to be signed with Azerbaijan and the delimitation and demarcation work to be carried out in other directions of the conventional border. In this context, the Armenian government fulfilling its obligations- such as opening the Zangazur corridor and at the same time, removing clauses from its Constitution that include territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Türkiye - would contribute to further development in relations.
Certainly, the peaceful return of the four villages in Gazakh is a continuation of the victory achieved under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev through Azerbaijan's 44-day Patriotic War, the September 2022 battles, and the anti-terrorism operations conducted in Garabagh in September 2023.
The recent processes have once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan will not compromise even an inch of its land to anyone.
On the horizon, there lies the further strengthening of Azerbaijan's sovereignty, the signing of a peace treaty with Armenia, and the positive continuation of the delimitation and demarcation process.
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