Former Minister of Justice: Amending the Armenian Constitution based on a misinterpretation of the Declaration of Independence is a dead end

ArmInfo. The initiative to revise the Armenian Constitution based on an incorrect interpretation of the Declaration of Independence is a direct path to a dead end, according to former Armenian Justice Minister and Doctor of Law Gevorg Danielyan.

"When the idea of adopting a new constitution was put forward several years ago, we tried by all legal means to urge the Armenian authorities not to succumb to Azerbaijani provocations and to accept as a starting point that the initiative to revise the Constitution based on an unnecessary, incorrect interpretation of the Declaration of Independence is a direct path to a dead end." "It's not too late," the former head of the Armenian Ministry of Justice noted in his Facebook post.

Danielyan noted that, as one of the co-authors of the draft constitutional amendments, he can confidently say that all reputable expert organizations have unequivocally established that the Preamble to the Armenian Constitution contains no hint of territorial claims, and that it speaks only of respect for the people's right to self-determination, protected by international law, and its legal consequences.

"No state has the authority, through its Constitution, to decide in advance that it will never recognize the people's right to self-determination, because doing so would exclude itself from UN membership. Similarly, it is unlawful to constantly emphasize in new international treaties that sovereignty will not be undermined, since sovereignty has already been recognized and guaranteed upon joining the UN, and therefore, to put it mildly, there is no need to reaffirm it. "Unfortunately, the Constitutional Court attempted to soften this contradiction by favoring a purely situational interpretation of the legal value of the preamble, the results of which we are seeing," he noted.

At this stage, Danielyan believes that the most realistic and practical step is to initiate joint discussions between lawyers and political scientists from both sides, with the participation of competent international structures. "This is mutual benefit, good-neighborly cooperation, and not endless, one-sided bragging," the former head of the Armenian Ministry of Justice concluded.

As a reminder, according to the results of the regular parliamentary elections in Armenia, held on June 7, 2026, the Civil Contract party has a 3/5 majority, which allows it to adopt constitutional laws and make appointments. However, the party does not have the 2/3 majority necessary to directly amend the Armenian Constitution. It should be added that since the occupation of Artsakh, Baku has frequently demanded changes to the Armenian Constitution, citing its alleged territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan presents the fulfillment of these and other demands as a precondition for concluding a "peace treaty."