The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued its official official position on border demarcation and delimitation processes.
The Human Rights Defender requested the Foreign Ministry’s stance on the issue following Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan’s visit to Syunik province.
The comments sent to the Ombudsman are provided below:
“Delimitation and demarcation are successive bilateral international processes that require the existence of a joint commission, and professional discussions and negotiations are held within that framework. 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 delimitation 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 delimitation, and later 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 and their successful completion, the deployment of armed forces or border troops to conduct combat duty along the state border is a purely defensive and security measure in areas under the actual control of the parties, negotiated directly or mediated between 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 Human Rights Defender of Armenia has established effective cooperation and reliable cooperation with the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the mentioned issues, as well as on various other issues, especially with our country’s permanent representatives in international structures and our ambassadors to a number of countries.
