YEREVAN — Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, has emphasized that the adoption of a new Constitution is driven exclusively by Armenia’s own interests and is not being carried out at the request of Azerbaijan.
Speaking to journalists, Simonyan addressed criticism suggesting that Armenia is preparing to adopt a new Constitution under pressure from Azerbaijan.
“The Constitution of Armenia and the amendments being considered are made in Armenia’s interests. They are not made in Azerbaijan’s interests. They are made for Armenia’s survival and future,” Simonyan stated.
Responding to a question about whether Armenia could demand that Azerbaijan amend its Constitution, Simonyan noted that the peace treaty between the two countries has been negotiated and contains no such provision. All clauses in the agreement are bilateral.
“There is no such agenda. Armenia needs to have a strong army. I am working to ensure that Armenia’s military is well-equipped and capable of defending itself. I am not thinking about imposing anything on Azerbaijan, Turkey, or Georgia, only for them to later impose something on us. I am thinking about Armenia’s interests. And Armenia’s interests dictate that we must have a Constitution that does not give anyone a reason to perceive us as a threat in the region,” he added.
Armenia’s Minister of Justice, Srbuhi Galyan, recently announced that the draft of the new Constitution is already prepared. It is expected to be discussed within the ruling Civil Contract Party and its parliamentary faction.
Addressing whether the reference to the Declaration of Independence has been removed from the draft, Galyan stated that no final decision has been made and the issue remains under discussion. The current circulating draft does not include a preamble, whereas the existing Constitution contains such a reference in its preamble.
Earlier, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed the view that the new Constitution should not include a reference to the Declaration of Independence, arguing that it relates more to conflict and dependency than to independence.
