Azerbaijan Gains Control of Strategic Border Villages

Azerbaijan's border service now controls four villages in Gazakh district, previously under Armenia, fulfilling an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This step is considered crucial for peace between Yerevan and Baku, though it has led to protests in Armenia against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's decision.

Azerbaijan's border service has taken control of four villages in the Gazakh district on the border with Armenia under an agreement struck with Yerevan, the Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday.

In April, Armenia said it would return uninhabited villages to Azerbaijan, which both sides said was a milestone on the road towards a peace deal between Yerevan and Baku.

The decision by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan provoked protests in the country.