American-style peace and Armenian constitution Baku remains steadfast

Lately, the United States of America has publicly expressed commitment to the swift signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at the Brookings Institution, sent a message to Baku and Yerevan.

In particular, he stated that there is currently an exceptional opportunity to achieve peaceful agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The main focus in the statements of the American Secretary of State was on Baku's positions. The US Secretary of State emphasized that Baku should play a decisive role in signing a peace treaty with Armenia.

“Armenia and Azerbaijan – there is an extraordinary opportunity, potential to realize a peace agreement between the countries that ends decades of conflict and actually creates in the region, I think, a tremendous opportunity for economic connectivity, for economic growth, for connecting countries both east, west, north, and south.  Azerbaijan has a critical role to play in that.  We have invested intensely in our own – with our own diplomacy in trying to help bring Azerbaijan and Armenia to a peace agreement.  We’ve done that in very close collaboration, coordination with the European Union, and I think that that’s something that really is within reach.  I was speaking just about a week ago to President Aliyev on this.  I think that’s achievable, and it’s manifestly in the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the broader region," Blinken said.

Indeed, during the phone call on June 21 between Blinken and Aliyev, the American side welcomed the progress made in advancing the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Blinken also emphasized the United States' determination to continue supporting the normalization process between the two countries and urged them to swiftly sign a peace treaty.

In turn, the Azerbaijani leader highlighted the importance of Armenia ceasing its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, as enshrined in Armenia's constitution, corresponding laws, and internal regulatory acts, in advancing the peace agenda. This was a clear message from Baku to Washington that achieving a peace treaty with Yerevan is only possible if necessary amendments are made to Armenia's fundamental law. And that's it!

By the way, Azerbaijan's unwavering position on the peace agenda was also voiced by the president during a meeting with Canada's new ambassador to Baku, Kevin Hamilton. "... the main condition for the peace agreement is the amendment of Armenia's constitution. Because it contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and until this is addressed, a peace agreement will not be signed. This is a known fact. We are making considerable progress in the negotiation process. I believe we can finalize the text of the peace agreement, or at least its main principles, within a few months… We believe this could be an option—reaching an agreement on the basic principles, initialling them, and then working on the text.” President Ilham Aliyev noted that this will happen if Armenia amends its constitution.

In this same context, Azerbaijan's position was articulated by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during a recent meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry's Special Representative Igor Khovaev. Discussing the peace agenda between Baku and Yerevan, he noted that Armenia's continued claims to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in its constitution and other legislative acts remain the main obstacle to concluding a peace agreement.

Thus, what do we currently have regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani agenda? There is a clear stance from Baku, disagreement from Yerevan, and a lack of reaction from Washington to Azerbaijan's demands for a revision of the Armenian constitution. Despite the US insistence on the swift signing of a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan, Washington has not once mentioned the necessity of revising the Armenian constitution, which maintains territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Türkiye. This suggests that the US, likely in pursuit of its own interests in the region, may have promised Armenia support in signing a peace document without requiring any changes to Armenia's constitution.

Presumably, such an agreement could have been reached during Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien's recent visit to Armenia. This theoretical scenario explains Armenia's leadership's refusal to amend its constitution to exclude territorial claims against Azerbaijan. In Yerevan, there seems to be a relaxed attitude in hopes that the United States will exert pressure on Azerbaijan regarding the peace agreement, hence they continue to demonstrate stubbornness on this issue.

Armenia has concurrently adopted another adventurous tactic and is attempting to promote it on European platforms. Specifically, Yerevan is demonstratively claiming in various EU countries almost its extraordinary readiness to sign peace with Azerbaijan. This misleading agenda has been particularly actively promoted by Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Lithuania, Estonia, and during meetings with Slovenia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon. Armenia is thus trying to create an image in the eyes of the international community as a peace-loving country ostensibly concerned about regional security issues.

However, there's a catch. If Armenia truly advocates for peace and is ready to bury the hatchet with its neighbours, then why is it actively arming itself with assistance from France and India? And why would the "leading advocates of freedom, democracy, and peace," as the U.S. positions itself in global politics, indulge Armenia in this matter? Why did Washington raise the level of its strategic partnership with Yerevan?

The answer is evident. It is solely for advancing their goals in the region, achievable through chaos and destabilization in the South Caucasus. Armenia has been chosen as a pawn in Washington's game. While Armenia basks in prolonged euphoria from the attention it receives from the EU and the US, it fails to fully grasp the bitter consequences of this dangerous game played by Western sponsors.

However, much Armenia hopes for American support to achieve peace with Azerbaijan without amending its constitution, these illusions will burst like soap bubbles. Baku has repeatedly demonstrated through its actions that it will not allow anyone to interfere in its internal affairs or impose their will upon it. This principled stance applies not only to regional but also non-regional countries. Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, reclaiming every inch of its land independently, without yielding to any centres of power. It will not compromise its principles, especially regarding territorial claims enshrined in the Armenian constitution. Armenia and its foreign sponsors will have to reckon with this fact.