FM Mirzoyan: Armenian Constitution Contains No Provisions of Concern for Azerbaijan

YEREVAN — Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has dismissed views that Armenia’s Constitution includes any provisions that could be of concern to Azerbaijan, rejecting Baku’s demands to make constitutional changes as a negotiation agenda.

“We do not share the perception that there is anything in our Constitution that could be troubling for Azerbaijan,” Mirzoyan said in response to a question from an Azerbaijani journalist attending an international conference in Yerevan focused on peacebuilding and multilateral cooperation.

“Therefore, we do not accept this as part of the negotiation agenda and are not negotiating on this issue,” he continued. “Peace has been established; a number of agreements have been reached, published, and signed. But there are also issues on which the two countries do not agree. This is one of those issues.”

Mirzoyan added that Armenia and Azerbaijan do not even have an understanding that their respective constitutions should be part of the peace talks. He also noted that, from Armenia’s perspective, Azerbaijan’s own constitution contains implications or references that could be seen as threats to Armenia’s territorial integrity.

At the same time, the minister recalled that Armenia had publicly stated as early as 2018 that it planned to amend its Constitution, emphasizing that this was an internal matter. “This relates to the Armenian side of this hall. First and foremost, it is part of the domestic agenda, and perhaps only the domestic agenda,” he said.