A working meeting of experts of the state commissions on delimitation of the state border between Georgia and Azerbaijan was held on August 19, the foreign ministries of both countries reported yesterday.
“On August 19-23, the experts will conduct a joint review of various areas and plan works for the next stage to review other areas that are not yet agreed upon,” Azerbaijani foreign ministry stated.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, at the meeting the parties arranged field works to jointly measure the disputed territory between the two countries.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia said that after studying the relevant documentation and carrying out field works, the experts will prepare a summary that the commission will discuss at its next meeting.
Lack of agreement on where the border between the two countries passes came into a sharp focus in the end of April, when Azerbaijani border guards restricted access to parts of David Gareji Monastery.
Although the restrictions were soon lifted, activists and local residents, as well as some nationalists rallied, claiming Georgia’s rights to the disputed section.
Georgian-Azerbaijani commission, tasked with border delimitation between the two countries, met on May 14 first and later on May 23-24 in Baku.
The tensions further escalated on May 28 and Georgian Orthodox clerics, their parish, ordinary citizens and civil rights activists held another rally.
Two thirds of the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan has been agreed. One third of the border, where David Gareji Monastery is located, has yet to be agreed.
For more background, follow our tag on David Gareji.
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