ArmInfo.The main goal of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan when deciding on a new Constitution is to strengthen his own power and satisfy the demands of Azerbaijan. A similar point of view is shared by the member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the "Armenia" opposition faction Kristine Vardanyan.
In a conversation with an ArmInfo correspondent, she noted to that in the current situation, when the country faces serious problems related to security, social and economic problems, raising the issue of developing and adopting a new Constitution is not only untimely, but also fraught with risks. The current Constitution in this entire process, the MP noted, has nothing to do with these problems. "The agenda of the new Constitution has nothing to do with the agenda of the Armenian people, it is the agenda exclusively of Nikol Pashinyan and his political team represented by the Civil Contract party, and is aimed at solving two problems - strengthening their own power and satisfying the demands of Baku," the parliamentarian said She pointed out the direct connection of the declared initiative of the Armenian prime minister with the process of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan. Vardanyan mentioned that in his speech at the RA Ministry of Justice, Pashinyan meant the Constitution as a whole, rather than the constitutional reforms related to changes in one or another article of the country's Basic Law.
"We all remember the demands of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to revise the provisions of the Constitution of Armenia, which, in his opinion, contains provisions relating to the territorial integrity of this state. Vardanyan noted that Baku has always pointed to the reference to the Declaration of Independence in the Basic Law of Armenia, where Nagorno Karabakh is mentioned. In particular, the preamble of the current Constitution contains a reference in which the republic is proclaimed, "aware of its responsibility for the fate of the Armenian people in realizing the aspirations of all Armenians and restoring historical justice, implementing the right of nations to free self-determination, based on the joint resolution of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR and the National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh dated December 1, 1989 "On the reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh." "Actually, this fact was recognized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who confirmed that in the negotiation process Baku constantly raised and is raising this issue," the MP noted. She added that the authorities do not like the article of the Basic Law of the country, in which the Republic of Armenia recognizes "the unique mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a national church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of their national culture and the preservation of their national identity." No less problematic for Pashinyan is the article of the RA Constitution, which talks about the symbols of the Republic of Armenia.
Answering the question that not only Azerbaijan, but also Turkey directly expresses claims to the provisions of the country's current Constitution, Vardanyan recalled that the Declaration of Independence contains a provision according to which the Republic of Armenia supports international recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Thus, as the parliamentarian noted, the authorities have two tasks in the matter of the new Constitution - strengthening their own power and satisfying the demands of neighboring states.
Earlier, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with the RFE/RL's Armenian service , said that Azerbaijan considers the reference in the Constitution of the republic to the Declaration of Independence, which mentions Nagorno-Karabakh, problematic.
"They raised this issue, they said that, yes, this is a problem, they presented legal problems, and accordingly, we, in our turn, considered their formulations to be problematic," Mirzoyan said. At the same time, he stated that Baku did not put forward demands on the issue of the Constitution of Armenia in the draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "There is no provision on the Constitution of Armenia in the draft peace agreement. Yes, the parties see each other's legal problems in the general peace process and give explanations. There will be more such discussions. As for our Constitution, in addition to solving internal issues, it has a broader scope significance and can influence regional relations and relations between Armenia and the world. But there are no requirements or text regarding part of the Constitution in the draft peace agreement," the head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry noted.
On January 19, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced the need to adopt a new Constitution. "The Republic of Armenia needs a new Constitution. Not constitutional changes, but a new Constitution. We must have a Constitution that will make the republic more competitive and more viable in new geopolitical and regional conditions," Pashinyan said.
In turn, back in 2021, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the need to rewrite the Constitution of Armenia. In an interview with the Turkish Anadolu Agency, as he said "the text of the Basic Law of the neighboring country "contains references to territorial claims" to Baku and Ankara." "Let Armenia correctly perceive the newly formed reality, take steps in accordance with this reality, look at the map and find itself there, if, of course, it can," Aliyev said.