As the delimitation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia continues, discussions about enclave (exclave) villages have resurfaced. It is observed that the Armenian leadership has not withdrawn its claim to Bashkend village, located in the Shinikh region of Gadabay district. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented Bashkend, which Armenia calls "Artsvashen," as part of his country's territory on a map he displayed before the parliamentary elections.
In addition, questions arise from Pashinyan's map showing Karki of Nakhchivan and the other three occupied villages of Gazakh not as Azerbaijani exclaves, but as Armenian territory. It should be noted that Pashinyan, during his pre-election campaign, stated that the issue of Bashkend remained on the agenda, emphasizing that the mutual exchange of enclaves is one of the possible options.
In a statement to Modern.az, former Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the issue of enclaves has always been on the agenda:
“The issue of enclaves was on the agenda when I was minister. Although 20% of our lands were under occupation, we touched upon the issue of enclaves with the co-chairs, as well as with Armenia. The co-chairs only said that this issue would be considered after the occupied territories were liberated. I have no doubt that this issue is still on the agenda. In diplomacy, it is possible to mutually exchange lands and villages. This is also a topic of delimitation, and the issue is probably being discussed. Land differs from land, meaning one land can be forested, while another can be suitable for cultivation. These issues are discussed at the expert level. If Azerbaijan has the will and the Armenian side has good intentions, it is possible to resolve this issue.”
The former minister emphasized that many nuances must be discussed and clarified for the resolution of the enclave (exclave) issue:
“The issue of how to communicate with enclaves will also arise. First, roads must be built, and then their security must be ensured. Since the roads pass through the territory of another country, you cannot deploy troops there for its security; they will say that this is an occupation. In short, although there are many nuances, it is possible to resolve this issue.”
According to political scientist Elkhan Shahinoglu, Nikol Pashinyan himself verbally agreed to the demands regarding enclaves:
“One should not pay too much attention to the map prepared by Pashinyan. That map was to win the votes of Armenians during the election campaign. Therefore, the reality is different. Of course, the issue of enclaves must be resolved; we demand our villages. Pashinyan also has a verbal agreement to this. Pashinyan most likely feared losing votes if he also showed the enclaves on the map. In fact, he does not object to returning the Azerbaijani villages.”
The expert emphasized that, simply, constitutional changes must first take place:
“There is no objection to the return of the villages. This issue will find its solution in the future process of border demarcation. There is a need to sign a peace agreement and start the construction of the TRIPP road. In parallel, the processes of returning villages, delimitation, and demarcation are already underway. What is important is that the majority of Armenians voted for strengthening relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Those who voted for people like Samvel Karepetyan and Robert Kocharyan are in favor of hostility with Azerbaijan and Turkey. It cannot be said that the entire Armenian society has accepted the reality. The number of Armenians who do not accept the reality is also quite large. In any case, Pashinyan won the elections and will form a government alone. This means that peace talks with Azerbaijan will continue. Those mentioned issues will also be a parallel topic of discussion.”
It should be recalled that currently, 4 villages of Azerbaijan remain under occupation: Yukhari Askipara, Barkhudarly, Sofulu of Gazakh, and Karki village of Sadarak district of Nakhchivan AR. They are surrounded on all sides by Armenian territory.
These villages are exclave villages for Azerbaijan and enclave villages for Armenia.
Yukhari Askipara has an area of 860 hectares, Sofulu 439 hectares, and Barkhudarly 320 hectares. All three settlements were occupied in 1992.
Karki village was occupied by Armenians in January 1990. The area of the village is 19 sq.km.
