Armenia Border Developments Reveal Continued Military Fortification by Baku in Syunik

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, …

The peace agreement signed between Armenia and the Republic of Baku last year has failed to reliably guarantee the sovereignty and security of Armenians, according to a recent commentary by Ehsan Movahedian, a faculty member at Allameh Tabatabai University. While previous reports highlighted the consolidation of military positions by the Republic of Baku around Tavush and the city of Jermuk, similar developments are now clearly visible in the strategic Syunik region, which shares a direct border with Iran.

Following heightened border tensions in 2021, military forces from the Republic of Baku seized portions of sovereign Armenian territory. Recent satellite imagery analysis reveals that these positions have not only been fortified but significantly expanded over recent months. This ongoing process is particularly evident near the border lake of Sev Lich and the southern sector of Lake Aylah, where forces have constructed new dirt roads, erected permanent structures, and carried out extensive engineering projects around their encampments.

Experts note that the depth of these incursions ranges between 1.5 and 3 kilometers inside Armenian territory. Based on the 1975 General Staff maps of the former Soviet Union, which serve as the recognized baseline for demarcation, these movements constitute a clear occupation of Armenian land. Furthermore, these military installations are strategically located in the narrowest sections of the border, where the width of Armenian territory between the Republic of Baku and the exclave of Nakhchivan is restricted to roughly 26 kilometers.

These complex conditions carry heightened significance given recent statements from Armenian officials suggesting that the next phase of border delimitation will likely encompass the Syunik region. Analysts point out that Baku is actively attempting to establish a dominant negotiating position by solidifying its on-the-ground presence before formal demarcation talks officially commence. Given the current political posture of the Armenian government, a voluntary withdrawal of the Republic of Baku’s forces from these entrenched positions appears unlikely, underscoring a broader strategy to secure permanent strategic advantages across the entire border strip.