YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday rejected Azerbaijan’s ongoing demands for Armenia to amend its constitution, cease purchasing weapons, and accused Baku of harboring territorial ambitions against his country.
Pashinyan addressed these issues in an interview with the official Armenpress news agency, responding to conditions for an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement outlined by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during an interview with a state-run Russian broadcaster on Wednesday. Among Aliyev’s demands was a revision of Armenia’s constitution, which Azerbaijan claims lays groundwork for Armenia’s assertion over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region recaptured by Azerbaijani forces last year.
Pashinyan referenced a September ruling by Armenia’s Constitutional Court to refute Azerbaijan’s claims, asserting that it is Baku that harbors ambitions on Armenia’s internationally recognized territory. He highlighted Aliyev’s repeated references to parts of Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan” as evidence.
“It is obvious that with the talk of so-called ‘Western Azerbaijan,’ official Baku seeks to legitimize its territorial claims against Armenia, which are enshrined in Azerbaijan’s constitution,” Pashinyan said.
The Armenian Prime Minister emphasized his government’s constructive engagement in peace talks, noting that Armenia had submitted proposals regarding two unresolved articles of the peace treaty over a month ago, but Azerbaijan has yet to respond.
“We propose an article about the non-deployment of third-country forces along the delimited sections of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. This is logical because in those areas, the risk of escalation is significantly reduced, if not eliminated,” Pashinyan explained.
He added that once border delimitation is finalized, there would no longer be a need for third-party forces along any segment of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. “The Republic of Armenia is proposing this approach,” he stated.
On Weapons Acquisition and Defense
Responding to Aliyev’s accusations that Armenia is acquiring offensive weapons and cannot sustain an arms race, Pashinyan firmly countered, “We are acquiring weapons exclusively to protect the borders and territorial integrity of Armenia.”
He assured, “I can guarantee that Armenia has no intention, goal, or plan to attack Azerbaijan or engage in provocative actions. If Azerbaijan has no intention of attacking Armenia, then the probability of escalation in the region is zero.”
On Lawsuits and Peace Treaty Nuances
Addressing the withdrawal of lawsuits filed by the two nations against each other, Pashinyan noted that this could be considered once a peace treaty is signed. He said the idea is acceptable to Armenia but highlighted two key points:
- There must be a clear pathway for resolving ongoing humanitarian issues currently being discussed in international courts.
- After withdrawing disputes from international platforms, neither side should bring the same issues into bilateral discussions, avoiding the creation of new sources of conflict.
“These nuances are essential to ensuring lasting peace and preventing escalations,” Pashinyan concluded.
