Azerbaijani officials highlight constitutional hurdles in pursuit of peace treaty with Armenia

In a discussion titled "Obstacles to a Peace Agreement in the Armenian Constitution and Laws", Azerbaijani MP Erkin Gadirli highlighted significant constitutional challenges that may impede the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The event was organized by the Centre of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center and focused on potential legal and constitutional barriers to achieving a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Gadirli pointed out that while the preamble of Armenia’s constitution can be amended through a referendum, the process is complicated by the stance of the Armenian Constitutional Court, which maintains that the preamble cannot be altered.

“We are not talking about the entire preamble. We are interested in a specific sentence in the text, and its change is possible,” the Azerbaijani MP remarked, underlining that the modification of this particular sentence could pave the way for a resolution.

However, he also acknowledged the difficulties arising from the court's firm position against any change.

While this issue of constitutional reform was a focal point of the discussion, Javid Gadirli, Deputy Dean of the Law Faculty at ADA University, emphasized that Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan are far from hypothetical.

Speaking at the same conference, he asserted that these claims have been a consistent part of Armenia's policy since both countries gained independence in the early 1990s.

Gadirli explained that Armenia's claim to Nagorno-Karabakh, which was occupied militarily for almost three decades, is deeply embedded in the country's constitutional framework. He pointed to the Armenian Constitutional Court’s ruling on the delimitation commission, which he said did not fully address the broader constitutional issues at play.

While the ruling facilitated the establishment of a delimitation commission, Gadirli stressed that Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan remain an immutable part of its constitution, particularly highlighted in the preamble and the Declaration of Independence.

"The delimitation decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court does not remove the constitutional obstacles to signing a comprehensive peace agreement with Azerbaijan," Gadirli stated. He emphasized that while the court’s decision made it easier for the delimitation commission to begin its work, it sidestepped the deeper issue of Armenia's territorial ambitions, which continue to pose a significant challenge to peace efforts in the region.

By Vafa Guliyeva