Yerevan Denies Reports of Ceding Village to Georgia
By Messenger Staff
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
The Armenian government has issued a firm denial regarding media reports suggesting that the village of Jiliza, located in the Lori Province, will be transferred to Georgia as part of a border delimitation process.
Nazeli Baghdasaryan, press secretary for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, dismissed the claims on April 28, labeling them fabricated. In a statement posted to Facebook, Baghdasaryan asserted that any information suggesting an agreement to transfer sovereign Armenian territory to another country "cannot be true by its very nature."
The reports surfaced on April 27 across several media outlets in both Armenia and Georgia. The speculation followed a speech by Prime Minister Pashinyan during an event marking the Day of the Border Troops. While discussing the broader regional context, Pashinyan noted progress in border negotiations with Azerbaijan and added that similar efforts were underway with Tbilisi.
"We also have on our agenda the process of finalizing the delimitation of our border with Georgia, and we already have agreements on this with our Georgian partners," Pashinyan said, according to the state news agency Armenpress. These remarks regarding the broader process were subsequently linked by some outlets to the village of Jiliza.
The spread of the reports has drawn criticism from observers who highlight the sensitivity of border negotiations. Giorgi Tumasyan, a representative of the political initiative Georgia First, described the rumors as "fake news" and a "classic example of irresponsible journalism."
Tumasyan emphasized that border demarcation talks have been ongoing for decades and are conducted by specialized commissions whose work remains confidential. "If you know what is being agreed or not agreed, that is already a problem, because you are not supposed to know it," Tumasyan wrote, adding that no official agreement has been reached.
