By AZE.US
A dispute over the Azerbaijani exclave controlled by Armenia has moved beyond border negotiations and become a new source of political confrontation in Yerevan.
A political dispute over Karki has intensified in Armenia after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the Azerbaijani exclave is not part of Armenia’s internationally recognized territory.
Speaking at a Sept. 11 briefing, Pashinyan said Karki, Barkhudarli and Yukhari Askipara are not included within Armenia’s recognized area of 29,743 square kilometers. By contrast, Artsvashen – known in Azerbaijan as Bashkend – is part of Armenia, although it remains under Azerbaijani control.
“If someone says that Karki is part of Armenia, they are saying that Armenia’s territory is not 29,743 square kilometers but, for example, 29,750 square kilometers. This means declaring war,” Pashinyan said.
The prime minister accused political forces opposing a possible settlement of the exclave issue of increasing the risk of renewed conflict with Azerbaijan.
However, Pashinyan stressed that Yerevan and Baku have not reached an agreement on how the exclaves will be handled in practice. He drew a distinction between recognizing the legal status of a territory and deciding how the issue should be resolved on the ground.
No decision has been announced on transferring control of Karki, relocating residents or changing transport routes.
“There is no agreement on this at present, nor has there been one,” Pashinyan said. “My main task is to remove the tension surrounding this issue so that we can arrive at normal solutions.”
Opposition Steps Up Pressure
The dispute intensified after members of the opposition Strong Armenia parliamentary faction visited the settlement, which Armenia calls Tigranashen.
Faction leader Narek Karapetyan said residents did not want to leave their homes and argued that the village should remain under Armenian control.
On Sept. 12, opposition lawmaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan accused the government of using the threat of war to justify what he described as unilateral concessions.
He called the choice between “surrender or war” political blackmail and said Armenia should instead pursue a broader negotiating agenda, including the return of Armenian territory controlled by Azerbaijan and the release of Armenian detainees.
Other government critics have warned that the Karki issue could become a new trigger for street protests.
Armenia faced weeks of demonstrations in 2024 after returning four non-exclave villages of Azerbaijan’s Gazakh district during the first stage of border delimitation. The handover triggered protests in the Tavush region before demonstrations spread to Yerevan.
Why Karki Matters
Karki legally belongs to Azerbaijan’s Sadarak district in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic but has been controlled by Armenia since the early 1990s. Armenia administers the settlement under the name Tigranashen.
The issue is particularly sensitive because a major highway connecting central Armenia with the country’s southern regions passes close to the settlement. Opposition groups argue that restoring Azerbaijani control could create transport and security risks.
Pashinyan has rejected claims that settling the exclave issue would necessarily disrupt travel between Armenian regions. He has said infrastructure concerns can be addressed during the delimitation process.
The Armenian leader has previously outlined two possible solutions. The first would restore each exclave to the country to which it legally belonged during the Soviet period. The second would involve mutually agreed territorial exchanges or adjustments of equivalent size.
Any solution, he said, must be based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, under which Armenia and Azerbaijan recognized the former Soviet administrative borders as interstate boundaries.
For now, no timetable or final model has been announced. But the dispute has already become a major political test for Pashinyan.
The government presents recognition of Karki’s legal status as necessary to protect Armenia’s own territorial claims and prevent another war. The opposition, meanwhile, portrays the same position as preparation for another territorial handover to Azerbaijan.
AZE.US