Armenian leader ready to amend Constitution to secure peace with Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indicated that his government is prepared to amend the Constitution if necessary to ensure the ratification of a historic peace agreement with Azerbaijan.

“Our strategy is to ensure that Armenia can exist in our region without external assistance and support,” Pashinyan said, according to Caliber.Az citing Armenian media.

He stressed the importance of constant vigilance in maintaining peace: “We assert that peace has definitely been established, and we see it in practice, but, on the other hand, it requires daily attention. Without daily care and vigilance, it will be at risk.”

Pashinyan addressed concerns raised by Azerbaijan over alleged territorial claims in Armenia’s Constitution. “Our position is very open because when Azerbaijan raises the issue, claiming that there are territorial demands on Azerbaijan in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, we can prove that our Constitution contains no territorial claims against Azerbaijan. We can demonstrate this both de jure and in practice. But why don’t we raise this issue? Because the text of the peace and inter-state relations agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed in Washington, addresses all of these concerns.”

He highlighted that the agreement itself provides a clear framework: “The very first article of this agreement states that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognise each other’s territorial integrity. Based on this, Armenia and Azerbaijan have no territorial claims against each other and pledge not to make any such claims in the future.”

Explaining the next steps, Pashinyan said, “Let us assume that the peace agreement is signed now, after which we must submit it to the Constitutional Court for review to ensure that the agreement aligns with our Constitution. If our Constitutional Court decides that it fully complies with the Constitution, there will be no obstacles to its ratification, and following ratification, in accordance with our Constitution, it will acquire the highest legal force in our country. I have publicly stated that if our Constitutional Court determines that it does not comply with our Constitution, I will personally initiate constitutional amendments.”

The Prime Minister also emphasised that Armenia is ready to respond to any questions Azerbaijan wishes to raise, to sit at the negotiating table, and discuss the details.

Pashinyan noted that constitutional reform is already part of his long-term plan: “Since 2018, we have had a plan to adopt a new Constitution, and recently, in the declaration of our party congress, we stated that after receiving a new mandate from our people in the 2026 elections, we will begin the adoption of a completely new Constitution for the Republic of Armenia.”

By Tamilla Hasanova