Pashinyan on "Western Azerbaijan," the Armenian Constitution, and Negotiations with Baku

On November 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding a peace treaty in an interview with Public TV. In particular, he emphasized that society should move away from certain stereotypes. “We are outraged when we hear the term ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But we don’t think that when we say ‘Western Armenia,’ it also irritates anyone,” he stated.

He added that it was his responsibility to address this topic and explain the reasons and consequences. If this is not done, it could lead to the loss of statehood, Pashinyan warned. Regarding Baku's demands to amend Armenia's constitution, he suggested that Azerbaijan might be attempting to derail the peace talks.

“It is clear that the Constitution of Azerbaijan includes territorial claims against Armenia, but we are not demanding changes to Azerbaijan's constitution, because that would lead the peace negotiations into a deadlock. Moreover, we have a provision in the peace agreement that neither side can refer to its domestic legislation as an excuse not to implement the peace agreement,” Pashinyan noted. Furthermore, Pashinyan mentioned the possibility of mutually withdrawing lawsuits filed by Armenia and Azerbaijan in international courts.

“If we are striving for a real peace and sign a peace treaty, we can consider such an arrangement,” he added. As for the unresolved issues in the peace agreement, Pashinyan mentioned Baku's demands, which include: amendments to Armenia's constitution, the withdrawal of the European Union's civilian observer mission from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and the cessation of legal and diplomatic disputes in international bodies.

Regarding the presence of European observers, Pashinyan said that Yerevan had made a counterproposal: to withdraw observers from the sections of the border that will be delimited.