Baku Responds to Pashinyan's Proposal to Swap Enclaves

Discussions continue on the delimitation of the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the fate of enclaves and exclaves. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's approach to defining borders has brought the mechanisms for resolving these issues back into focus. Preserving territorial integrity and the conditions under which a possible land exchange could take place are at the centre of attention.

Farhad Mammadov, coordinator of the Peace Bridge initiative, told Modern.az that border delimitation and the resolution of the enclave and exclave issue are different processes. He said a decision had been taken on defining the border from north to south. Mammadov stated that if changing borders arises, it must be carried out through a referendum. He noted that Azerbaijan's territory is 86.6 thousand square kilometres and Armenia's is 29,743 square kilometres, and that any exchange should keep the combined size of both territories unchanged.

Mammadov said Azerbaijan does not appear to be rushing on the issue and that the process depends on the course of the overall peace agenda. He added that how the enclave and exclave question will be resolved will be determined once a concrete stage is reached.