evidence: Syunik is Armenia's most remote province, making up the country's narrow southern tip. Its slim southern edge borders Iran; across its eastern border is Azerbaijan's mainland; and to its west is Azerbaijan's exclave of Naxcivan. The region's strategic location, combined with its prominent place in Armenian history, makes it, in Armenian discourse, the "backbone" of the country. Regional and international attention began to turn to Syunik immediately following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, when Azerbaijan retook most of the territory it had lost to Armenian forces in the first war between the two sides in the 1990s. That territory included the Azerbaijani provinces of Zangilan, Qubadli, and Lachin, all of which border Syunik. [...] Syunik is "vital" and "strategic" for Armenia, the country's deputy prime minister, Mher Grigorian, said at the launch ceremony for Resilient Syunik in January. "So any project aimed at sustainable development of the region is in the center of special attention of the government."