Pashinyan Refuses to Amend Constitution

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has firmly rejected Azerbaijan's demands to amend Armenia’s constitution to renounce territorial claims as a prerequisite for a peace agreement between the two nations. Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia’s constitution contains no territorial claims against Azerbaijan, underscoring that constitutional amendments under Baku’s pressure are not being considered.

“No provision of Armenia’s Constitution contains territorial claims to neighboring countries. The Constitutional Court of Armenia, in its ruling on September 26, noted that the reference to the Declaration of Independence in the preamble of the Constitution pertains exclusively to provisions reflected within the Constitution itself,” Pashinyan wrote on his official X account.

The statement aligns with the positions of Armenian opposition groups and public sentiment, which oppose revising the nation’s fundamental law under external influence.

The issue originates from Armenia’s 1990 Declaration of Independence, which included the concept of “miatsum” – the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. This declaration was later incorporated into Armenia’s post-Soviet constitution as a foundational principle.

Pashinyan previously criticized the Constitution of Azerbaijan, claiming that it contains implicit territorial claims against Armenia. He referred to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) of 1918-1920, whose territory included Zangezur and the northern regions of modern Armenia. At that time, the ADR's territory spanned 113,895.97 square kilometers. However, after the fall of the ADR on April 27, 1920, the policies of Soviet Russia reduced the territory of the newly established Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic to 86,600 square kilometers, stripping Azerbaijan of control over 27,200 square kilometers. Following its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan declared itself the successor to the ADR.

Pashinyan’s unequivocal stance complicates efforts to finalize a peace treaty and fulfill Azerbaijan's additional demand for the return of ethnic Azerbaijanis displaced from Armenia during the Soviet era. It also raises doubts about progress in ongoing border demarcation efforts between the two countries.

The impasse fuels concerns about the potential collapse of negotiations aimed at resolving long-standing disputes, following the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation.