Aliyev’s Demands for Armenian Constitutional Changes Torpedoes Peace Process

YEREVAN — The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned today in a statement what it called official Baku’s gross interference in Armenia’s internal affairs, following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s demands for changes to the Armenian Constitution as a prerequisite for a peace treaty.

The statement came in response to Aliyev’s assertions that a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan is unattainable without amending the Armenian Constitution. Aliyev also proposed that both Armenia and Azerbaijan jointly request the OSCE to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group, which has mediated the Karabakh conflict.

“The Republic of Armenia has no territorial claims to any of its neighbors, including Azerbaijan. The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and its amendments are an internal affair of the Republic of Armenia, and we regard official Baku’s attempts to interfere in the intra-Armenian discussions on this issue, which started back in 2018, as a gross interference in the internal affairs of our country,” the statement emphasized.

The Foreign Ministry further noted that such demands undermine the peace process and cast doubt on the Azerbaijani leadership’s sincerity in achieving peace.

“The peace agreement being negotiated between Armenia and Azerbaijan clearly stipulates that the parties recognize each other’s territorial integrity and have no territorial claims against each other. There is also an agreed provision in the draft peace agreement that neither party can invoke its domestic law to fail to fulfill its obligations under the peace agreement. The signing of the agreement and its ratification through internal procedures will finalize these principles,” the statement continued.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry believes that the clearest and most direct way to resolve all concerns is to sign the agreement, which will pave the way for lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“The peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is sufficiently ripe for signing, and the Armenian side expresses readiness to work constructively and intensively towards its finalization and signing within the next month,” the statement concluded.