Azerbaijani think tank joins calls for removal of territorial claims from Armenian constitution

A prominent Azerbaijani foreign policy think-tank has raised the issue of territorial claims put forward in Armenia's constitution, demanding these provisions to be removed.

Farid Shafiyev, the Chairman of the Centre for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Centre) has expressed this appeal while speaking at a conference dedicated to the Azerbaijan–Türkiye alliance and held at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, Caliber.Az reports citing local media.

Addressing the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Shafiyev noted that there is currently a de facto peace in the region and that efforts are actively underway to solidify it. Nonetheless, he highlighted several persistent obstacles that continue to hinder lasting peace between the two neighbours.

"Armenia’s constitution contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. There are also territorial claims directed at Türkiye. We demand that these provisions be removed from Armenia’s constitution," Shafiyev underscored. He referenced similar international precedents—such as the 1998 Belfast Agreement and the case of North Macedonia—which, he suggested, could serve as models for making appropriate constitutional amendments in Armenia.

The Azerbaijani government has long been shedding light on this legal matter and has made it a key condition for signing a peace treaty with Armenia, together with the demand to jointly request the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group on Karabakh.

Speaking on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit held in Albania’s capital Tirana on May 15, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in response to an Azerbaijani journalist’s question that although Armenia has yet to draft a new Constitution, an analysis of the current one confirmed that, according to a decision by the Constitutional Court, Armenia holds no territorial claims against its neighbours.

However, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Aykhan Hajizada, responded on May 16 to Pashinyan’s statements, accusing the Armenian leader of attempting to mislead the international community over constitutional claims and the Minsk Group’s dissolution.

Hajizada asserted that Armenia’s history of disregarding international agreements on territorial integrity, including its reservations when joining the Alma-Ata Declaration and refusal to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, undermines Pashinyan’s arguments. He dismissed the Armenian Prime Minister’s claim about the supremacy of international treaties over domestic laws by citing Article 5 of the Armenian Constitution, which places the Constitution above all legal norms. He also pointed to Article 21, highlighting Armenia’s coat of arms as evidence of territorial claims.

Pashinyan has pledged to try to enact a new constitution through a referendum expected in 2026. Moreover, he stated in April that the new constitution must carry no reference to a 1990 declaration of independence which in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia with the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), which was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Speaking about the obstacles created by the Armenian diaspora on the path to peace, Shafiyev added that while at first glance there may appear to be disagreements between the diaspora and the Armenian government, in certain cases their actions appear to be coordinated.

The think tank executive further pointed out that the alliance between Azerbaijan and Türkiye serves as an example of effective cooperation among Turkic states and is positively viewed by the international community.

By Nazrin Sadigova