By Susan Badalian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Azerbaijan has withdrawn its military from one section of the recently demarcated border with Armenia, according to the mayor of a local Armenian village who spoke to RFE/RL on August 7.
Tigran Harutyunyan, the administrative leader of Berkaber, a village in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush Province, said the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani military from the vicinity of Qizilhacili — one of four former Azerbaijani villages that Armenia ceded control of as part of the border demarcation earlier this year — occurred about a month ago.
“They left quite a while ago. I believe it was in early July. They vacated their position, and now our border guards are stationed there,” Harutyunyan said.
For more than 30 years, the Azerbaijani side has controlled about 900 hectares of land belonging to Berkaber. It was decided that this area would not be demarcated during the process that took place in April and May.
The government released a map in April highlighting the sections where adjustments would be made, and the Azerbaijani military remained at one such section after the completion of the demarcation.
