Activities along Armenia's south-eastern border 'cannot be interpreted as a final agreement on demarcation' - Foreign Ministry responds to ombudsman

Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan says he recently submitted an inquiry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting clarifications over border demarcation and delimitations processes along Armenia's south-eastern border with Azerbaijan.

The document, summing up his visit to the Syunik region, raised concerns also over the direct impact of the ongoing processes on human rights.

 The Ministry provided its official position which Tatoyan published on Facdebook:

“Demarcations are successive bilateral international processes that require the existence of a joint commission and within the framework of which professional discussions and negotiations are held. A prerequisite for the above-mentioned processes is the existence of normal bilateral relations, including diplomatic relations, between the neighboring states.

"In international practice, a bilateral intergovernmental commission (chaired by representatives of the foreign ministries of the countries) is formed to carry out demarcation and demarcation processes between neighboring countries, consisting of representatives of state stakeholders (foreign policy, defense, security), experts (particularly in the field of geodesy cartography).

The first stage of the work of such commissions, as a rule, ends with a separate bilateral agreement on the legal basis of the demarcation, and later, after the demarcation, on the joint implementation of the demarcation process.

"Upon successful completion of the bilateral process, the Commission concludes an agreement on the border between the two countries, which stipulates that all border issues have been resolved.

"Prior to the commencement of the above-mentioned processes, "their successful completion, the deployment of armed forces or border troops to conduct combat duty along the state border is a purely defensive" security measure, in areas actually under the control of the parties, negotiated directly or indirectly between representatives of the armed forces."

"Therefore, the implementation of the current measures is not related to status issues, cannot be interpreted as a final agreement on demarcation, or mechanical approval of existing administrative boundaries”.

The ombudsman says he has also established an effective and reliable cooperation with the Ministry on the specified issues, as well as on a range of various other issues, especially with Armenia's permanent representatives in international organizations and ambassadors to foreign countries.