copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-29): It became clear that Armenia and Azerbaijan are on the verge of making important decisions after prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the border villages of the Tavush region back in March. The head of the Armenian government met with residents of Voskepar and Kirants. He reported that it may be necessary to cede to Azerbaijan the villages of Gizil Hajili, Kheyrimli, Ashaghy Askipara, and Baghanis Ayrum. [...] After the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani armed forces advanced several times into the sovereign territory of Armenia. The consequences of these escalations were hundreds of casualties on both sides and territorial losses for Armenia. Several months ago, the authorities of the country finally openly stated that as a result of these incursions, the country lost part of its territory and dozens of villages. [...] The statement mentioned Yukhari Askipara and Karki – Armenian-inhabited villages Verin Voskepar and Tigranashen, as well as Sofulu and Barkhudarly, which are currently deserted.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-21): The self-styled Republic of Artsakh will soon cease to exist. Unilaterally established by ethnic Armenians in the autonomous Azeri province of Nagorno-Karabakh, it was the linchpin of Russian hegemony in the region. Playing both sides, the Kremlin ensured that it had the final say in regional developments. The one-day war produced two important results: all ethnic Armenians residing in Artsakh were forced to flee, and Azerbaijan is now in full control of its own, internationally recognized territory. [...] Following the cease-fire agreement in 1994, Armenia assumed the role of protector for the Republic of Artsakh, and it retained control of those Azeri territories between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia proper that it had seized by military force. Although Artsakh was not formally recognized even by Yerevan, it represented a substantial de facto enlargement of the territory of Armenia. [...] Three very different scenarios may play out. One is that Azerbaijan acts on its implied threats and takes further military action against Armenia. It has already launched a series of cross-border attacks that have resulted in the occupation of about 215 square kilometers of Armenian land. The rhetoric on "Western Azerbaijan" is driven by the legacy of eight exclaves inside Armenia that, during Soviet times, were populated by ethnic Azeris. Two of those – Yukhari Askipara and Barkhudari – are located on the Yerevan-Tbilisi highway, which could be cut off.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-30): Soviet Azerbaijan had three exclaves (containing four villages) inside Armenia: Kyarki, Yukhari/Upper Askipara, and Barkhudarli, and Sofulu. The latter two formed a single enclave. [...] The other two enclaves, located in Armenia’s northeastern region of Tavush, were captured by Armenian forces in the summer of 1992. Like Kyarki, they are also strategically placed, but unlike the former, they have not been populated after their Azerbaijan residents fled. The 2011 Armenian census listed one "Askipara", which is presumably Yukhari/Upper Askipara, with a population of 0 as part of the Voskepar municipality. [...] The three Azerbaijani enclaves inside Armenia have a total area of around 44 km2 according to Armenian fact-checkers and an Azerbaijani researcher, with Yukhari Askipara at 25.4–25.5 km2, Barkudarlu & Sofulu at 10.1 km2, and Kyarki at 8.3–8.4 km2. This compares to 38 or 40 km2 for Artsvashen.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-28): Nevertheless, there are still some major issues that need to be resolved. The first and foremost is the territorial claim by Armenia to Azerbaijan contained in the reference in Armenia’s constitution to "reunification" with Karabakh, the Azerbaijani territory that Armenia had occupied for three decades. The preamble of the current Armenian constitution refers to the "pan-national aspirations" of ethnic Armenians as well as a 1990 declaration of independence[vi] – when Armenia was still part of the Soviet Union – that stipulates the unification of Armenia and what was then the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, part of Soviet Azerbaijan. [...] The border delineation process is also affected by the status of four remaining enclaves: the Armenian enclave of Artsvashen inside Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani enclaves of Barkhudarly, Yukhari Askipara, and Karki inside Armenia. These are all small parcels of land that were once inhabited by their respective ethnic groups but are now uninhabited and under the de facto control of the other side. Azerbaijani foreign policy chief Hikmet Hajiyev confirmed that there had been progress in bilateral talks, adding that the agreement on the border commission "should be seen as sufficient for the withdrawal of the EU contingent."[xiv] Azerbaijan has consistently opposed an EU monitoring mission that was deployed in Armenia in 2022[xv] to observe the situation on the border, arguing that the EU mission increases the risk of conflict.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-05): Another EU mistake has been not to give equal priority to the territorial claims of both countries. Due to the complicated pattern of the Soviet-time border delimitation, both Azerbaijan and Armenia have claims to their exclaves within the other’s territory, and, although it is an issue that has been discussed in depth during the meetings, the emphasis has been placed on the Armenian case, leaving the claims in the background. Armenia claims the territory of Artsvashen, while Azerbaijan claims Karki, Yukhari Askipara, Barkhudarly and Sofulu. The territories claimed by Azerbaijan are controlled by Yerevan, the opposite being the case with Artsvashen. The EU should have given the same order of priority to all claims, studying, case by case, the most convenient way to solve the situation.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-01-26): Bakhtiyar Hidayat works outdoors on a sunny day. Bakhtiyar is a well-known writer and teacher in Gazakh. He had to leave his hometown of Yukhari Askipara when it was occupied by Armenian forces. He currently lives in Narimanov. In addition to his farm work, he also writes and publishes poetry. (Ahad Askerov, Gazakh) [...] Gurgan is four years old. His family was originally from Yukhari Askipara village, but were forced to move to Narimanov settlement for internally displaced people during the war. Because his parents are both teachers, his siblings often take care of him while they are away.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-21): Yukhari Askipara (Azerbaijani: Yuxarı Əskipara, lit. 'Upper Askipara'; Armenian: Վերին Ոսկեպար, romanized: Verin Voskepar, lit. 'Upper Voskepar') is a destroyed village in an exclave of the Qazakh District of Azerbaijan, currently under the control of Armenia and surrounded by the Tavush Province of Armenia. The exclave has been under control by Armenian forces since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, which also included fighting in Qazakh. Today, the village is destroyed, with only the foundations and some lower portions of the houses remaining.[1] [...] According to the 1915 publication of the Caucasian Calendar, Yukhari Askipara (Аксибара Стар., Aksibara Star.) had a predominantly Tatar (later known as Azerbaijani) population of 278 in 1914.[3] [...] - ^ a b "Əskipara: illərin məsafəsində". MEYDAN.TV (in Azerbaijani). 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-22): The border delineation process is also affected by the status of four remaining enclaves: the Armenian enclave of Artsvashen inside Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani enclaves of Barkhudarly, Yukhari Askipara, and Karki inside Armenia.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-01): In 1990, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied and burned the Yukhari Askipara village of Gazakh district. Currently, the Albanian temple is located on the territory occupied by Armenians. [...] In 1990, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied and burned the Yukhari Askipara village of Gazakh district. At the present time, the Four-cornered tower is located on the territory occupied by Armenians. [...] In 1990, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied and burned the Yukhari Askipara village of Gazakh district. Currently, the Gatir bridge is located on the territory occupied by Armenians.
Claim: Yukhari Askipara is a territory of Armenia (Yukhari Askipara, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-27): Last month, Azerbaijan used force to seize control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a long-disputed ethnic Armenian enclave, displacing almost the entire Karabakh Armenian population. It might seem that their exodus has paved the way for a comprehensive peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia: after all, if the Armenian presence in the region is no longer a political factor, what is there to argue about? Yet Karabakh was not the only source of conflict between the two countries. Behind it loom other territorial disputes. [...] Concessions will not only be necessary regarding Nakhichevan. In Soviet times, there were eight Azerbaijani enclaves in Armenia, and only one Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. A simple swap, therefore, would be impossible. Moreover, seizing control over the enclaves of Yukhari Askipara and Barkhudarli would allow Azerbaijan to cut off the Yerevan-Tbilisi highway if it so desired. There are still plenty of challenges ahead, therefore: not only in defining and securing the enclaves, but also in providing access to them.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-02-14): Barkhudarly (Azerbaijani: Barxudarlı; Armenian: Բարխուդարլու, romanized: Barkhudarlu) is an abandoned Azerbaijani village in the Qazakh District of Azerbaijan, under the de facto control of Armenia. Along with the similarly abandoned village of Sofulu, Barxudarlı forms a 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) exclave of Azerbaijan surrounded by Armenia's Tavush Province.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-25): A considerable degree of hostility existed between Armenia and its new neighbor to the east, the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, stemming largely from racial, religious, cultural and societal differences. The Azeris had close ethnic and religious ties to the Turks and had provided material support for them in their drive to Baku in 1918. Although the borders of the two countries were still undefined, Azerbaijan claimed most of the territory Armenia was sitting on, demanding all or most parts of the former Russian provinces of Elizavetpol, Tiflis, Yerevan, Kars and Batum.[115] As diplomacy failed to accomplish compromise, even with the mediation of the commanders of a British expeditionary force that had installed itself in the Caucasus, territorial clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan took place throughout 1919 and 1920, most notably in the regions of Nakhichevan, Karabakh, and Syunik (Zangezur). Repeated attempts to bring these provinces under Azerbaijani jurisdiction were met with fierce resistance by their Armenian inhabitants. In May 1919, Dro led an expeditionary unit that was successful in establishing Armenian administrative control in Nakhichevan.[116]
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-09-28): The territory is recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan but large areas of it have been controlled by ethnic Armenians for three decades. [...] The area designated Nagorno-Karabakh had a majority ethnic-Armenian population but was controlled by Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh's regional parliament voted to become part of Armenia when the Soviet Union began to collapse in the late 1980s.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-08): The Territorial History of Armenia and Azerbaijan [...] The territorial history of Armenia and Azerbaijan is marked by centuries of complex geopolitical shifts and cultural interactions. Both nations have ancient roots and have experienced changes in borders and control over the years. [...] After the First World War, the Armenians would not have a state in the former Ottoman territories but a small formerly Russian territory around the city of Yerevan, southwestern part of the Transcaucasian Federative Democratic Republic (April -May 1918) which takes the name of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. From June 1920, the Kemalist Turkish nationalists began negotiations with the Soviets and the demarcation of the borders of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (born December 2) was ultimately to the detriment of the Armenians themselves, since it did not do not include Karabakh, included entirely in Azerbaijan, at the insistent request of the Turks.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-29): - ^ Փաւստոս Բուզանդ 1883=1984, էջ 1 (Հայաստան աշխարհին) - ^ Փաւստոս Բուզանդ 1883=1984, 4.բ, էջ 56 (Հայաստան երկրին) [...] - ^ Rafael Ishkhanyan, "Illustrated History of Armenia," Yerevan, 1989 - ^ Elisabeth Bauer. Armenia: Past and Present (1981), p. 49 - ^ "Χαλύβοισι πρὸς νότον Ἀρμένιοι ὁμουρέουσι (The Armenians border on the Chalybes to the south)". Chahin, Mark (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia. London: Routledge. p. fr. 203. ISBN 978-0-7007-1452-0.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): The status of Nagorno-Karabakh (also called Artsakh), an enclave of 1,700 square miles (4,400 square km) in southwestern Azerbaijan populated primarily by ethnic Armenians, was from 1988 the source of bitter conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. By the mid-1990s Karabakh Armenian forces had occupied much of southwestern Azerbaijan, but, after a devastating war in 2020, they were compelled to withdraw from most of that area.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-30): Soviet Azerbaijan had three exclaves (containing four villages) inside Armenia: Kyarki, Yukhari/Upper Askipara, and Barkhudarli, and Sofulu. The latter two formed a single enclave. [...] Barkhudarli and Sofulu, forming a single enclave, are located on the main highway connecting Ijevan, the regional center, with the town of Berd and a number of nearby villages. As with the two previous cases, there is an alternative, but significantly more mountainous road connecting Ijevan and Berd. The three Azerbaijani enclaves inside Armenia have a total area of around 44 km2 according to Armenian fact-checkers and an Azerbaijani researcher, with Yukhari Askipara at 25.4–25.5 km2, Barkudarlu & Sofulu at 10.1 km2, and Kyarki at 8.3–8.4 km2. This compares to 38 or 40 km2 for Artsvashen.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-23): Michel’s statement explicitly specified the square kilometre area of both countries. This means Armenia has officially recognised the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s enclaves are the Gazakh district's Baghanis-Ayrim, Ashaghi Askipara and Yukhari Askipara, Barkhudarli, Sofulu villages and Nakhchivan's Karki village.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-14): Armenia is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia, located just south of the Caucasus mountain range. It is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north and east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan (historically part of Armenia up to 1921 but transferred to Azerbaijan by the Bolsheviks) to the south. Armenia has a total area of 29,743 square kilometers (11,484 square miles) and a population of about 3 million people. The capital and largest city is Yerevan, situated along the Hrazdan River, it is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-27): Aliyev’s absence did not stop Pashinyan from going to Spain and signing a declaration recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. He signed a similar document in Aliyev’s presence in Prague last year, but this time the text listed the area of Azerbaijan as 86,600 square kilometers: in other words, it included not only Karabakh, but also other enclaves that existed during the Soviet era. [...] Concessions will not only be necessary regarding Nakhichevan. In Soviet times, there were eight Azerbaijani enclaves in Armenia, and only one Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. A simple swap, therefore, would be impossible. Moreover, seizing control over the enclaves of Yukhari Askipara and Barkhudarli would allow Azerbaijan to cut off the Yerevan-Tbilisi highway if it so desired. There are still plenty of challenges ahead, therefore: not only in defining and securing the enclaves, but also in providing access to them. [...] Baku has all the tools for a new escalation. One is its claim of a "Western Azerbaijan" (i.e., parts of Armenia that were populated by Azeris in Soviet times). This notion features increasingly prominently in state media and Aliyev’s speeches. And while Armenia’s only leverage comes from external backers, Azerbaijan’s stems from the facts on the ground.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-10-16): Nagorny Karabakh and adjacent administrative regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Lachin, Kelbajar, Gubadli, Zangilan, Jebrayil, Agdam (regional center and a large part of the territory) and Fizuli (regional center and a large part of the territory) were occupied by Armenia from 1989 to 1993. At present, Armenians transgressed a total of 558 km of the state border – the 198 km Azerbaijani-Iranian border from Horadiz settlement of the Fizuli region to the borders of the Zangilan region, and 360 km Azerbaijani-Armenian border. These territories are now under complete control of the Armenian military forces. Armenian forced destroyed buildings, outposts, frontier posts and demarcation lines from the USSR period along the border. The occupied areas along the Azerbaijani-Iranian borders are currently used for uncontrolled smuggling and sometimes for transportation of drugs. Construction materials for residential and public building and cut forest trees are transported from the occupied regions of Azerbaijan through the seized borders to Iran by Armenia. [...] Other from that, the Kerki settlement of Sadarak region in Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, Ashagi Akipara, Yukhari Askipara, Gushchu Ayrim, Barkhudarli settlements of Gazakh region and other ones situated at the Azerbaijan-Armenia border were destroyed and occupied.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-07): In a recent interview, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev discussed the status of former Soviet Azerbaijani exclaves and villages currently under Armenian control, especially in light of the ongoing border demarcation efforts.[13] These areas, smaller and distant from the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, have gained attention following Azerbaijan’s reassertion of control over Karabakh. Seven such villages are located in Gazakh district, with four on the Azerbaijani side of the former Soviet border – Baghanis Ayrim, Lower Askipara, Kheyrimli, and Gizilhajili – occupied by Armenian forces in the 1990s. Three others – Upper Askipara, Sofulu, and Barkhudarli – and another exclave, Karki, are unique Soviet-era enclaves. An Armenian exclave, Artsvashen, faced a similar situation. [...] Additionally, the Azerbaijani President discussed the ongoing border talks, including Azerbaijani troops in areas regarded as Armenian territory, asserting that his army would not withdraw from strategic positions gained since 2020. He emphasized the need for clear border definitions. The resolution of these issues is expected to be discussed in the upcoming commission meeting. [...] [1] Bassem Mroue, "The fall of an enclave in Azerbaijan stuns the Armenian diaspora, extinguishing a dream," AP, September 29, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/armenia-azerbaijan-diaspora-beirut-los-angels-nagornokarabakh-dc00e20d1c684877e5b0e67d3de76388.
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-30): The fate of the exclave villages in the Gazakh district (Yukhary Askipara, Sofulu, and Barkhudarli) seems to be a potential subject for further negotiations. [...] Therefore, it can be said that a basis for negotiations on delimitation in the Tovuz and Gedabey directions has emerged. However, the issue of Bashkend, which is considered an exclave territory of Armenia within Soviet administrative borders and is under Azerbaijani control, might become the foundation of these negotiations. It is possible that the sides will discuss an exchange of exclaves. (Recently, in an interview with a local internet TV channel, deputy Rasim Musabayev did not rule out the return of Bashkend, but his speech caused strong indignation on social media).
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-08): Having exclaves within the territory of the other side can be another matter of dispute. Exclaves are pieces of territory of one state that are surrounded by the territory of one or more other states. In other words, these regions have no direct ground connection to the state they belong to except through the territory of the state within which they are located. Nakhchivan is a typical example of an exclave as seen from Azerbaijan. There are five Azerbaijani exclave villages in Armenia—Karki to the West, Ashaghi Askipara and Yukhari Askipara to the northeast and Barkhudarli and Sofulu to the east—and one Armenian exclave village in Azerbaijan—Artsvashen to the west. The problem is that these exclaves have been under the control of the host states since the 1990s and no Armenians or Azerbaijanis live there although they have never been removed from the official maps. The two sides appear to agree that the future of the exclaves should be settled if delimitation and demarcation are to be completed (Khachatryan, 2022).
Claim: Barkhudarli is a territory of Armenia (Barkhudarli, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): As for the four non-exclave Azerbaijani villages (Baghanis Ayrim, Ashagi Askipara, Kheyrimli and Gizilhajili) occupied by Armenia, their affiliation to Azerbaijan is beyond any doubt and they are subject to immediate liberation, the Service of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev told APA regarding the meetings of the Commissions established in Azerbaijan and Armenia on the delimitation of the state border. The issue of liberation of four of Azerbaijan’s exclave villages (Yukhari Askipara, Sofulu, Barkhudarli and Karki) occupied by Armenia will also be resolved within the delimitation process.