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. [...] At the same time, Azerbaijani officials began to advance ambiguous claims on Syunik. As part of the cease-fire that ended the 2020 war, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate on new transportation routes that would connect Azerbaijan's mainland with its exclave of Naxcivan. While Syunik wasn't explicitly named in the agreement, it is the shortest route between the two parts of Azerbaijan and Soviet-era transport infrastructure remains through the region that could be restored.