evidence: Additionally, in the northern stretch of the boundary area there are one Armenian (Artsvashen) and four Azerbaijani (Karki, Yukhari Askipara, Barxudarlı and Sofulu) exclave villages which are now controlled by their 'host' nation. In addition, since the 1990s, Armenia controlled another 4 villages within the de-jure borders of Azerbaijan: Aşağı Əskipara, Bağanis Ayrum, Qızılhacılı, and Xeyrimli, which were returned to Azerbaijan on 24 May 2024 in accordance with the border delimitation agreement.[8][9] [...] Post-2020 Demarcation Efforts [edit]In April 2024, Armenia and Azerbaijan began demarcating their common border based on Soviet-era maps, as a first step towards a potential peace agreement. On April 19, the two countries reached an agreement whereby Armenia handed over four abandoned villages along the border with Tavush Province to Azerbaijan: Bağanis Ayrum, Aşağı Əskipara, Xeyrimli, and Qızılhacılı, all formerly part of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic's Qazax District and taken over by Armenia in the 1990s.[5] This condition, imposed by Azerbaijan as a prerequisite for the peace treaty, was described by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as an alternative to war, although the decision led to backlash in Armenia. Protests erupted in the country, with former residents of two of the villages blocking traffic on the Armenia–Georgia highway near Lake Sevan, Noyemberyan and other places, as sections of the highway risked being handed over.[66][67][68]