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Armenia’s Interior Minister Vahe Ghazaryan on Saturday travelled to the village of Kirants in Tavush Province to meet with local residents protesting against the planned handover of adjacent border areas to Azerbaijan.

Armenia has agreed to hand over four border villages to Azerbaijan as the initial step in defining the frontier between the two countries.

A statement issued by the Armenian Foreign Ministry said that the agreement was reached at the eighth meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev that was held at a border section on April 19.

People in Kirants are concerned about the safety of the village as some parts of the road in the area will also fall under Azerbaijani control.

Ghazaryan assured the protesting villagers that they would be involved in the border delimitation process.

“All your concerns have been raised. You will also be involved in the border delimitation work. Nothing will be done behind your back,” the minister said.