TIRANA — Armenia’s Constitution does not contain any territorial claims against its neighbors, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with an Azerbaijani journalist in Tirana, responding to a question about whether Armenia’s new constitution will reference the Declaration of Independence.
“We do not yet have a draft of the new Constitution,” said Pashinyan. “But we have analyzed our current Constitution, we are aware of the issues raised by Azerbaijan, and it is evident—based on a ruling by our Constitutional Court—that our current Constitution contains no territorial claims against our neighbors.”
“This is a legally established fact, and it is very important. I would also like to note the following: it’s clear that Azerbaijan has raised two key concerns regarding the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. One relates to the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. We say, in general, that agenda is acceptable to us, but we want to be assured that Azerbaijan’s goal is not to close the conflict on its own territory while exporting it into the Republic of Armenia. There is a solution for this. Our proposed solution is to simultaneously sign the peace agreement and submit a joint request to the OSCE for the dissolution of the Minsk Group.”
“In other words, the same time and the same place—which is very important. This would be a significant reciprocal gesture for building trust and stability in our region.”
“There is also another issue related to the Constitution. I have already addressed it and would like to note that in the agreed-upon text of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it clearly states that both countries recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, and acknowledge that the administrative borders of the former Soviet republics have become state borders.”
“This means that Soviet Azerbaijan is now independent Azerbaijan, and Soviet Armenia is now independent Armenia. This is a crucial fact.”
“There is also an article in the draft agreement which states that neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan has territorial claims against the other and both sides commit not to raise such issues or claims in the future.”
“In essence, the issues currently being debated in both Armenia and Azerbaijan are already resolved in the draft peace agreement between the two countries.”
“There is another important clause stating that neither party may use its domestic legislation as a reason not to fulfill the agreement. When the agreement is signed, according to Armenian law, it must be submitted to the Constitutional Court to determine its compliance with the Constitution. If the Court confirms that the agreement fully complies with our Constitution, that means there will be no legal barriers to its ratification in Armenia’s Parliament.”
“Once ratified by Parliament, the article of our Constitution that states international agreements have superior legal force and take precedence over local laws will go into effect.”
“Why am I explaining all this? Because the Azerbaijani side is currently raising concerns that Armenia’s Constitution allegedly contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. I’ve already addressed this. If these concerns are genuine, the fastest way to resolve them is to sign the peace treaty. Because once it is signed and ratified by Armenia’s Parliament, it will legally confirm—at the highest legislative level—that Armenia has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any of its neighbors.”
“We also have concerns. We observe that Azerbaijan’s Constitution contains territorial claims against Armenia. But we are not raising this issue the way Azerbaijan is. Why? Because we see that this issue is already resolved in the agreed-upon draft of the peace agreement. To address and eliminate this concern, we simply need to sign and ratify the peace agreement. And we are ready to make that decision,” said the Armenian Prime Minister.
Responding to the journalist’s question about why Armenia does not want to issue a statement on dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group before signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said:
“Because we have concerns about Azerbaijan’s Constitution. We see that it contains territorial claims against Armenia. And unfortunately, we also see political movements in Azerbaijan that suggest there are at least some groups aiming to close the chapter on the conflict within their territory and shift it into Armenia’s territory.”
In response to the journalist’s remark that Baku has already declared it has no territorial claims against Yerevan, Pashinyan stated:
“Even better. That’s great. So, what’s the problem? Let’s sign the peace treaty and a joint declaration, a joint document addressed to the OSCE on the dissolution of the Minsk Group structures—at the same time, on the same day, and in the same place. I’ve publicly stated this many times and declared our willingness. I reaffirm that readiness now.”
