National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan says that discussions with Azerbaijan on the Constitution cannot be ruled out. According to him, the opposition is raising questions that the authorities consider legitimate and are trying to answer, since further developments depend on them.
Rubinyan’s statement is quite revealing. First, it turns out that the Speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly, whether intentionally or not, is contradicting the official position of Yerevan, which maintains that constitutional amendments have nothing to do with any Azerbaijani demand or condition, and that no such issue exists at all. If that is the case, why should there be any discussions with Azerbaijan in the first place, even if the possibility of such discussions is merely not being ruled out rather than actively asserted? Logic, and all the more so the logic of a government that champions “sovereignty”, suggests that the opposite should be happening: discussions with Azerbaijan should be ruled out, not left as a possibility.
But even if we set the rhetoric aside, it is obvious enough even to a kindergarten child that the constitutional amendment agenda stems from an Azerbaijani condition. Incidentally, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister reiterated that condition yesterday in Ankara, during the summit of the Organization of Turkic States, saying that Armenia must take the necessary steps towards signing the peace treaty. And the fact that Azerbaijan has made the Constitution a condition for signing the treaty was once again acknowledged by the foreign minister just days ago. Therefore, one would have to be utterly obtuse, or even ignorant, to entertain any doubt that the constitutional referendum in Armenia will be held at Azerbaijan’s demand, as a condition imposed by Baku.
And perhaps that is precisely why the Speaker of the National Assembly is “not ruling out” discussions with Azerbaijan. Yerevan will apparently try to persuade Baku to drop this condition for signing the peace treaty. It seems that the Armenian authorities have begun to think that, after all, persuading Azerbaijan on this matter may prove easier than convincing or assuring the Armenian public that the referendum is not being held at Baku’s behest.
Read also
The whole question, however, is that persuading Azerbaijan, even if we consider that a realistic prospect, will come at a price. So what price is Yerevan prepared to pay in return?
Hakob BADALYAN
