The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, talked with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev lately. According to Azerbaijani and Russian media, in the conversation with Michel, Aliyev mentioned eight enclaves, eight villages, which, according to him, “are occupied by Armenia, they should be liberated.” During the discussion on “Enclaves, what do the maps say” at the “Media Center,” geographer cartographer Rouben Galichian said that, on the one hand, Aliyev says that he recognizes the territorial integrity of Armenia; on the other hand, he says that if Armenia does not come to detailed mapping and demarcation, then the areas where our soldiers stand will count as our borders.”
“If Mr. Aliyev wishes to sign a peace treaty, then on the map, I can show the territories that Azerbaijan has captured from the autonomous territory of Armenia from 2021 to today. They are about 200 square kilometers in area, mostly heights. Aliyev has not left these heights, and until he does, his statement that we agree to recognize territorial integrity has no meaning.” The territorial integrity of Armenia is to be recognized by Azerbaijan, 29,800 square kilometers. Does this imply that that country should withdraw all its forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia: Sev Lich, Chambarak, Jermuk, Ishkhanasar, etc.? What do the maps claim, based on which delimitation and demarcation work should be done? In this regard, Rouben Galichian showed on the map, as the Prime Minister says, the 1974 map, which should be used as a basis for border demarcation, where the Azerbaijani soldiers were supposed to stand. Meanwhile, Aliyev gave fake maps to his soldiers, who were now much further ahead; they occupied much larger areas than they should have, according to the 74 maps. “Azerbaijan should collect those fake maps that it gave to its border guards without validation and return the maps they validated to the Soviet headquarters.”
When asked if enclaves are subject to return, the cartographer answered: “The so-called enclave, as we know, is a territory of a country located in a neighboring country; it has no physical connection with its own country. Azerbaijan says in the second article of its Independence Act that we are the heirs of 1918-20 Azerbaijan. In 1918-20, enclaves did not exist in Armenia and Azerbaijan; there were no enclaves. At that time, Nakhichevan was not even under the control of Azerbaijan; it was under the control of Armenia, and then it was given to them by Stalin and Lenin. That map is taken from the 1926 Encyclopedia of the Soviet Union, certified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs; it is an official map, and there is no enclave in this map either.
Read also
Some territories here once belonged to Armenia but were gradually given to Azerbaijan. Armenia and Artsakh had common borders; only the Aghavno River passed through them. But then Azerbaijan, taking territories, separated these two territories. Even on the Soviet map of 1932, no enclave exists. Then suddenly, we come to 1940, and there are 3 Azerbaijani enclaves here: Askipara, Barkhudarlu, and Tigranashen. Armenia has one enclave, which is Artsvashen, in the territory of Azerbaijan. These territories were drawn on the map, but until now, there has yet to be a written document or basis for how this was given to Azerbaijan. That is why, two years ago, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan spokesperson made the following statement: if Armenia says that these territories are its own, then it should present an official document that they are its own. But these territories are inside the part of Armenia, so they belong to Armenia.
If Azerbaijan declares that they belong to it, then Azerbaijan should present the documents to transfer those plots to it, which it does not have. I spoke with the former head of the National Archives, Amatuni Virabyan; I talked to the researchers; there is no document in the archives that these territories were given to Azerbaijan, how and why they were given.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
