The Armenian Weekly. In parliament today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to a question about the ongoing discussions over a treaty with Azerbaijan, stating that two key points remain unresolved: the withdrawal of international claims between the two countries, and the non-deployment of third country representatives along the border.
This was in contrast to Azerbaijani deputy parliament speaker Ziyafat Asgarov’s recent comments that amendments to Armenia’s Constitution and the opening of the “Zangezur Corridor” are the two sticking points in negotiations. Pashinyan has denied this, stating that Armenia and Azerbaijan “have not discussed and have not included any agendas related to the constitution” in peace talks.
Nonetheless, Pashinyan is pushing forward with a new constitution, signaling a shift in the nation’s political landscape and sparking intense debate over the country’s territorial identity and governance.
In a February 19 address, Pashinyan stated, “Real Armenia is the Republic of Armenia, with an area of 29,743 square kilometers,” notably excluding Artsakh. The prime minister added that the “real Armenia” ideology has not yet been fully articulated in a single document and presented a draft, consisting of 14 guiding principles developed over time.
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In his speech, Pashinyan underscored the strategic importance of adopting a new constitution, explaining that Armenia must transition from a “residual system of functioning of a stateless nation to a system of functioning of state-building people.” He argued that previous referendums to adopt the current constitution had a “serious lack of legitimacy” in the public’s perception.
The prime minister also discussed the relationship between state strength and national prosperity, noting that the former is essential for the latter. “The state is the secret to the well-being of the people, and prosperity is the key to happiness,” he said, emphasizing that wealth creation is possible only in an environment based on legality, equality before the law and justice.
Pashinyan also focused on the individual’s role in contributing to national prosperity, stating that personal happiness is linked to being free, healthy and socially engaged. “Peace should be a character trait, a way of living,” he emphasized, underlining the importance of peaceful coexistence with Armenia’s neighbors.
Following the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan has insisted Armenia amend the preamble of its constitution, specifically to remove references to the unification of Armenia and Artsakh. Notably, in February 2024, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly stated that peace in the region would only be possible when Armenia changed its constitution. In response, Azerbaijan formed a group aimed at pushing for constitutional changes in Armenia.
At the end of 2024, Azerbaijan outlined its demands for a final peace agreement with Armenia, calling for significant amendments to Armenia’s constitution. During a December 10 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Elnur Mammadov, stated that Armenia must amend its constitution, arguing that Azerbaijan cannot move forward with a peace agreement as long as Armenia maintains these territorial claims. He further noted, “A country that has won a war rarely offers peace, but we did.”
In response, Pashinyan rejected Azerbaijan’s interpretation. Hours after Mammadov’s comments, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to downplay the significance of the preamble, citing Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruling that the constitution’s articles take precedence over the 1990 Declaration of Independence cited in the preamble. He reiterated that no provision of Armenia’s constitution contains territorial claims against its neighbors.
Earlier, in January 2024, Pashinyan addressed the need for a new constitution to reflect the “new geopolitical environment” in the region, while denying that the amendments were being made under pressure from Baku. In May 2024, Pashinyan established a government panel tasked with drafting a new constitution by the end of 2026, though by year’s end, the panel had yet to begin its work.
In a recent interview with Aravot, political analyst Karen Karapetyan sharply criticized Pashinyan’s call for constitutional reforms, describing them as manipulative and harmful to Armenia’s sovereignty. Karapetyan expressed dismay at seeing an Armenian leader more inclined to act on the directives of stronger powers than on the will of his own people.
Karapetyan also expressed concern over what he called the prime minister’s self-proclaimed role as the ideological father of the Armenian Republic, stating, “He concocted an ideology based on 14 principles, which he now intends to enshrine in the Constitution.” He added that Pashinyan’s public statements regarding democracy and the nation’s political future have been questionable for some time.
“Only a fascist can invent an ideology based solely on his own thoughts and then try to enshrine it in the Constitution,” Karapetyan remarked. He warned that if these changes are implemented, then anyone who opposes Pashinyan’s ideas could face criminal prosecution as constitutional violators.
Karapetyan also criticized Pashinyan’s framing of the constitutional changes as a transition to the “functioning of state-building people.” He described this as part of a broader narrative that pits “historic Armenia” against Pashinyan’s concept of a “real Armenia.” According to Karapetyan, this is a strategic manipulation of national identity, designed to weaken Armenian unity and shift the nation’s political and historical understanding. He traced Pashinyan’s trajectory from downplaying national values to suggesting that the true Armenia is not the one of the past, but rather one that he envisions, built on a fractured and distorted ideology.
Karapetyan also argued that Pashinyan’s policies are heavily influenced by Azerbaijan. “Pashinyan is trying to create the illusion that constitutional changes are part of Armenia’s political agenda, when in fact, they are a direct implementation of instructions from Baku,” he said. “It’s tragic to see the leader of your country running errands out of fear for a stronger power, while trying to convince the nation it was his own decision.”
Looking ahead, Karapetyan warned that the next step could involve the transfer of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.” “This too will be framed as part of Armenia’s political agenda, but in reality, it’s another concession under foreign influence,” he said.