“Our strategy is to ensure that Armenia can survive in our region without foreign aid and support.”
Modern.az reports that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in Berlin at a meeting of the German Association for International Relations, in response to a question about whether he plans to amend the Armenian constitution.
The Armenian constitution is seen as the main obstacle to the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.
"Our goal is to discuss our regional agenda with the countries of the region and to create the greatest possible atmosphere of harmony and solidarity. We will never experience a situation where there are no problems; problems exist everywhere, including in Europe," the Prime Minister said.
According to Pashinyan, peace has absolutely been established in the South Caucasus, and we see this in practice, but on the other hand, it requires daily attention. Without daily attention and care, peace will be at risk.
He said that the text of the agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed in Washington, covers all issues.
“The first article of this agreement contains a provision stating that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity, taking into account that the administrative borders of the Soviet era have become state borders. Based on this, Armenia and Azerbaijan have no territorial claims against each other and undertake not to put forward such claims in the future. In this signed agreement, there is another provision stating that neither party has the right to refer to its domestic legislation to violate this agreement. Furthermore, our Constitution contains a provision stating that ratified international documents have superior legal force over domestic legislation.
Let's imagine that a peace treaty is signed, and after that, we must submit it to the Constitutional Court for verification of its compliance with our Constitution. If our Constitutional Court decides that it is fully compliant with our Constitution, there will be no obstacle to its approval, and once approved, in accordance with our Constitution, it will have the highest legal force in our country.
I have clearly stated that if our Constitutional Court decides that it is not compliant with our Constitution, I will personally initiate constitutional amendments," Pashinyan said.
He stated that Armenia is ready to answer the questions Azerbaijan wants to pose, sit at the negotiating table, and discuss the details:
"Incidentally, there was even an idea to conduct an international legal study to understand the answer to this question.
On the other hand, my answer would be incomplete if I did not mention another nuance. Since 2018, we have had a plan to adopt a new Constitution, and recently, in the declaration of our party's congress, we stated that after receiving a new mandate from our people in the 2026 elections, we will begin to adopt a completely new Constitution for the Republic of Armenia. We are not discussing this issue with Azerbaijan, as it is a purely internal matter, our internal problem.
Yes, I am confident that our people will vote for the new Constitution, because it is related to the strengthening of our democracy, statehood, and independence, and naturally, it may also have certain regional and international implications.”
A.Gorkhmaz
