Area residents protesting last week’s border delimitation deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to block the Kirants-Voskepar section of the M16 Highway in Armenia’s Tavush Province.

The Armenian government, on Friday, announced it would hand over four areas in the province to Azerbaijan.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan defended the deal, arguing it would prevent another war with Azerbaijan.

Area residents argue they would lose access to farmland and that they’d be more vulnerable to Azerbaijani military attack.

Azerbaijan would gain control of a part of that highway near the   village of Kirants because of the planned Armenian troop withdrawal.