PM Pashinyan: Armenia new constitution not dictated by Baku's demand

The Armenian authorities are preparing to propose a draft of a new constitution, which is not being developed at Azerbaijan's request but will have regional significance, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

“The thesis I proposed regarding a new constitution has been widely discussed and presented as fulfilling a demand put forward by Azerbaijan. In reality, it holds a different significance within the framework of the 'Real Armenia' ideology," Pashinyan stated during a meeting with a group of citizens, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"However, under these circumstances, it is impossible to deny that the text, once it exists, will inherently have regional significance,” he added.

To note, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev outlined several obstacles to a lasting peace agreement with Armenia. Two articles in the draft peace agreement remain unresolved. One concerns refraining from filing international lawsuits against each other, which Aliyev believes should be mutually acceptable, given Azerbaijan's completed damage analysis from the occupation, estimating losses exceeding $150 billion. The second issue is the non-deployment of foreign representatives on borders. Azerbaijan opposes the presence of European observers on the Armenian side, arguing that the mission, initially agreed upon in 2022, has evolved into a NATO-affiliated operation with over 200 personnel, including representatives from non-EU NATO countries like Canada.

Additionally, Aliyev emphasized the need for amendments to Armenia’s Constitution, which references the 1990 Declaration of Independence and includes territorial claims against Azerbaijan by declaring the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region as part of Armenia. Azerbaijan insists on removing this provision to eliminate any future legal basis for territorial claims. Another obstacle is the formal dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. Despite its inactivity, the group still formally exists. Since Armenia has recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, Aliyev argues that the group is no longer needed. However, Armenia has not agreed to formally abolish it, which Baku sees as a sign of potential revanchist intentions. Aliyev stated that if these issues are resolved, there would be no further obstacles to signing a peace treaty.

By Khagan Isayev