Subtleties of delimitation: Azerbaijan and Armenia on right track

On April 29, 2026, the 13th meeting of the State Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia and the Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border and Border Security between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was held in Aghveran (Armenia) under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and Mher Grigoryan.

It can be considered a positive fact that this is not the first time that the commissions have met on the territory of one of the two countries, and not on, let's say, a "neutral" territory.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the mutual visits of the deputy prime ministers of the two countries historic. At a government briefing, the Armenian Prime Minister stated: "A very important event has happened. I consider the visits of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the two countries within the framework of the institutional logic of the historical peace process. I am very happy that we have reached this milestone."

Recall that a similar meeting was held last December in Gabala. Then Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan arrived in Azerbaijan. After that meeting, supplies of Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia began. For sure, the negotiations in Armenia will not remain without consequences, and some new item may appear on the bilateral agenda.

The main topic of the meetings of the state commissions, as you know, is the delimitation of borders. Technical and organizational issues related to this important process were discussed in Aghveran. Instructions for carrying out specific work were agreed upon, in particular, the creation of a delimitation map of state borders, and the registration of related documentation.

The statement notes with satisfaction the continued transit of goods through Azerbaijan to Armenia and the supply of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia. Moreover, within the framework of the meeting of the state commissions, discussions were held with the participation of representatives of the Armenian business community regarding the supply of goods and services, as well as transit transportation.

In connection with the participation of representatives of the Armenian business community in the meeting, the Armenian media noticed interesting facts. In particular, after the meeting, a car with license plates belonging, according to Armenian media, to businessman Samvel Aleksanyan was spotted at the rear of the official motorcade. Armenian media also mention the name of another major businessman, Khachatur Sukiasyan, in connection with the discussions. However, there is no official confirmation of the participation of these individuals in the negotiations. Nevertheless, these individuals are among those who flourished under the previous regimes and retained their businesses after 2018.

Aleksanyan and Sukiasyan are large entrepreneurs who control various fields, from food and shopping malls to energy and construction.

Although the meetings of the state commissions have the main goal of delimitation, the economic component does not stand aside. As we have already noted, it was after the discussions with Mher Grigoryan in Gabala that Azerbaijani gasoline and diesel fuel went to Armenia. Recently, the State Customs Committee published statistics on trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Surprisingly, just six years after the end of the conflict, which lasted almost forty years, the two countries are already reporting on trade turnover. Although it's too early to talk about the turnover.  According to the ministry, in January-March 2026, goods worth $5,757 million were exported from Azerbaijan to Armenia. This volume amounted to 0.11 percent of the total exports of the republic. On the one hand, this is a low indicator, on the other - we are talking about only four months.

So far, we cannot talk about Armenian imports. If everything is clear about oil products, then not everything is clear about Azerbaijan's needs for Armenian products.

The next meeting of the delimitation commissions will be held in Azerbaijan. And it will take place after the parliamentary elections in Armenia. Time will tell whether the current trends will continue, but the position demonstrated by the current government of a neighboring country may be welcome.

It should be recalled that on May 24, 2024, Azerbaijani border guards for the first time took over the protection of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The length of the delimited and demarcated border was only 12.7 kilometers, but these kilometers have become a symbol that the road to peace is possible. According to the bilateral agreements, the territories of four villages of the Gazakh region were returned to Azerbaijan: Baganys Hayrim, Ashagi Askipara, Kheyrimli and Gyzylgajili, which were taken under the control of the State Border Guard Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

After the successful start of the delimitation, discussions began on where this process would be continued.

Speaking at the first session of the Milli Majlis of the VII convocation, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that "we have delimited the border with Armenia without intermediaries." And in an interview with national TV channels, he said that this is "a unique case when delimitation and demarcation take place almost simultaneously." And he touched upon a very important point related to the methodology, which was also supported by the Armenian side: "The protocol that was agreed upon between the Armenian and Azerbaijani delimitation and demarcation commissions says that when clarifying the border, many factors must be taken into account: security, communications, settlements, historical factors., environmental , etc . In other words, the existing conditional border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is, firstly, not a dogma, and our position has always been that it requires clarification, taking into account those and many other factors that I mentioned."

At the end of last year, representatives of the two countries conducted a joint inspection at the border site near the Zod gold deposit in the Kalbajar direction of the border. Then rumors spread that the military was already carrying maps and carrying out work, but both sides denied these reports.

According to the text of the peace treaty initialed by the parties on August 8, 2025, the delimitation of the state border will be conducted on the basis of a separate agreement. Article I of the treaty states that "the parties will negotiate in good faith between the relevant border commissions in accordance with the agreed rules of their work in order to conclude an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of the state border between the parties."

Logically, those sections of the state border that will be involved in communication projects are in line for delimitation. First of all, the sections through which communications will pass within the framework of the TRIPP project.

I think there will be more specifics after the elections in Armenia.