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Georgia and Armenia have resumed talks on delimiting their 225-kilometer border after years of limited progress. Disputes over historical borders and access to farmland and religious sites are among the issues complicating the negotiations.
The intergovernmental commissions of the two countries met in Yerevan on November 6 for the first time in several years, AnewZ reported. The talks were co-chaired by Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia and Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan.
The sides described the resumption of dialogue as a step toward strengthening bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to resolving outstanding issues through negotiations. They also reviewed the legal framework for the process, including existing protocols, and possible measures to advance the commissions’ work.
The meeting ended without a specific territorial agreement or a timetable for concluding the negotiations.
The border’s history and agreed sections
The talks have refocused attention on a border that has largely been peaceful but is historically complex. Changes to borders during the Soviet period, differing maps and communities with close ties on both sides make it difficult to determine the final international boundary.
The roughly 225-kilometer border between Georgia and Armenia took its current form in the 1920s and 1930s, following earlier territorial agreements and a brief Georgian-Armenian conflict in 1918. An agreement reached in November 1921 between the authorities of the two Soviet republics established the border; despite later changes, it remained largely unchanged until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Turning the administrative boundary between the Soviet republics into an internationally recognized border proved difficult. After gaining independence, Georgia and Armenia had to agree on the legal basis for the border using historical treaties, maps and other documents.
Georgia’s State Border Management Strategy, approved in 2014, described delimitation and demarcation as important not only for effective governance but also for the region’s political, economic and social stability. The document said that 71% of the Georgia-Armenia border had been agreed at the time.
According to a 2025 assessment by the Armenian research organization Armenian Council, about 147 kilometers of the 225-kilometer border have been agreed. The organization also noted that other sources put the figure at 160 kilometers. The differing estimates reflect differences in how the agreed sections are measured.
Despite earlier progress, work remains. Neither government has published an updated breakdown of the sections under negotiation.
Complex areas and border communities
The challenges are not evenly distributed along the border but are concentrated in certain areas. According to a 2025 study by Armenian Council researcher Samvel Meliksetyan, the western section is relatively less complicated because settlements are farther from the border.
The most challenging areas lie east of the Armenian village of Metsavan. Dense forests, the irregular course of the border and nearby settlements complicate delimitation.
The Akhkyorpi-Debed section is particularly sensitive. On the Georgian side are the Armenian-populated villages of Akhkyorpi, Chanakhchi, Opreti, Khokhmeli, Khojorni, Gyulbagh and Burdadzor, as well as the Azerbaijani-populated communities of Mollaoghli, Burma, Sadakhlo and Tazakend.
For generations, residents of these communities used farmland, forests, pastures and water resources on both sides of what was once an internal Soviet boundary. The tightening of border controls after independence restricted access to land and resources traditionally used by local people.
In 2011, residents of Burma, Sadakhlo and Tazakend in Georgia’s Marneuli municipality protested after Armenian border guards restricted access to about 20 hectares of land they had traditionally used.
The location of some homes close to the former administrative boundary also complicates the situation. The Armenian-populated village of Khojorni in Georgia’s Marneuli region remains one of the unresolved issues. Studies of the negotiations say a possible arrangement between Khojorni and a disputed area near Armenia’s Bavra has been discussed, but no land exchange has been officially confirmed.
The issues extend beyond farmland and settlements. Territorial questions involving the medieval Khujapi and Khorakert monasteries, as well as the Khojorni church, could affect access to these sites, their restoration and their preservation.
For people living along the border, the outcome of the talks could affect access to farmland, cultural heritage sites and natural resources, as well as day-to-day relations between neighboring communities.
Regional significance of the talks
The process could also affect the South Caucasus, particularly Azerbaijan’s interests. The borders of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan meet at one point, so decisions on one bilateral border may affect issues involving the other two countries.
This is becoming more relevant as Armenia and Azerbaijan advance the delimitation of their borders, including agreements on the principles governing their shared boundary. An analysis published by Armenian Council in February 2025 highlighted unresolved questions about the point where the three countries’ borders meet near the Papakar mountain range.
The researcher cited reports of military positions in the area and said Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan would need to coordinate to determine the precise location of the point where their borders meet.
These assessments are not agreements or positions officially endorsed by the Georgian government. They nevertheless illustrate the potential regional significance of the Georgia-Armenia talks.
The negotiations are taking place as territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders remain central issues in South Caucasus diplomacy.
Pashinyan emphasizes internationally recognized borders
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues to promote his “Real Armenia” political vision, which places the country’s internationally recognized territory at the center of national identity and political direction.
Speaking at the Global Armenian Summit in Yerevan on November 6, Pashinyan said borders should also serve as a safeguard against territorial expansion by neighboring states. His remarks reiterated the government’s emphasis on sovereignty and protecting Armenia’s internationally recognized territory.
The approach comes as Yerevan seeks to move beyond decades of conflict with Azerbaijan and establish more predictable relations in the region.
A fully agreed and internationally recognized border could provide both governments with a clearer legal framework, improve conditions for border communities and support future cooperation. It could also resolve a longstanding issue in bilateral relations that both Georgia and Armenia have described as strategically important.
As Armenia and Azerbaijan continue their border negotiations, progress in the Georgia-Armenia process could take on broader diplomatic significance. The talks also test whether longstanding territorial disputes in the South Caucasus can be resolved through dialogue.
The latest meeting in Yerevan did not produce a breakthrough, but it enabled the sides to return to negotiations after several years. Whether the renewed dialogue will lead to a final agreement remains unclear.
