By RFE/RL's Armenian Service

Scuffles were reported on April 26 between police and residents of a village in Armenia that is due to be handed over to Azerbaijan as part of a border demarcation deal between Yerevan and Baku. Reports said protesters tried to stop a vehicle in Kirants on April 26, one of the border communities impacted by the upcoming move, believing they were Azerbaijani officials sent to work on the demarcation deal agreed on April 19. Protests were also reported in Yerevan on April 27. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has faced criticism at home after agreeing to cede several border areas to neighbor and longtime rival Azerbaijan as part of a peace deal. Both the United States and European Union have hailed the agreement.