The sixth joint session of Armenian and Azerbaijani government commissions on border demarcation and delimitation took place at a relatively peaceful section of the heavily militarized frontier. It was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustfayev.
The two sides issued very short and identical statements that shed no light on the agenda of the talks or give other details. Nor did they report any agreements.
Speaking in Yerevan earlier in the day, parliament speaker Alen Simonian said that the Armenian side hopes the fresh talks will bring more clarity to the delimitation issue. He indicated that Baku and Yerevan continue to disagree on a concrete mechanism for delineating the border.
“We can show, with a deviation of meters, where the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan passes,” Simonian told reporters. “Not just show some imaginary maps but maps with legal basis under them.”
Armenia insists on using the most recent Soviet military maps drawn in the 1970s. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Baku’s rejection of the idea in early January, saying that it favors the Armenian side.
Aliyev again accused Armenia of occupying “eight Azerbaijani villages” and said their return will top the agenda of the upcoming delimitation talks. Grigorian denied this, saying that the Armenian and Azerbaijani government commissions will compare each other’s maps and discuss procedural issues.
Aliyev and other Azerbaijani officials also said that an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty should be signed before the delimitation and demarcation of the border. Yerevan insists, however, that the treaty must spell out legally binding principles of the delimitation process. Armenian analysts and opposition figures believe that Aliyev wants to leave the door open to Azerbaijani territorial claims to Armenia.