local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian bordersArmenia-Azerbaijan: tensions existed for years over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan; Azerbaijan seized part of the enclave during six weeks of fighting in 2020 and the remainder in a short conflict in September 2023; in October 2023, Baku and Yerevan began preliminary discussions on a peace treaty, the demarcation of borders, and full normalization of relations; nevertheless, concerns persist in Armenia that Azerbaijan could invade in order to force the establishment of a transit corridor to the exclave of Naxicvan (Nakhichevan)Â Armenia-Georgia: Georgians restrict Armenian access into Samtse-Javakheti ethnic Armenian areas; Armenia has made no claims to the regionArmenia-Iran: none identifiedArmenia-Turkey: as of 2023, Turkey and Armenia were discussing normalizing relations
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
Refugees country of origin: 27,929 (Azerbaijan) (mid-year 2022)
IDPs: 8,400 (2022)
Stateless persons: 816 (2022)
Trafficking in Persons
Illicit Drugs
a transit country for illicit drugs with its location between source countries Afghanistan and Iran and the markets of Europe and Russia.Â
