ArmInfo. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan clarified why Armenia is not demanding changes to the Constitution of Azerbaijan, which includes territorial claims to the Republic of Armenia.
<Azerbaijan claims that the Constitution of Armenia contains territorial claims to Azerbaijan based on the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, which includes a general reference to the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, mentioning Nagorno-Karabakh. On September 26, 2024, the Constitutional Court of Armenia stated in its decision that the legal reference is to specific provisions verbatim recorded in the articles of the Constitution. The text of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia does not contain any provisions on Nagorno-Karabakh, either directly or indirectly>, Pashinyan
said on November 13 during the government hour in parliament. Meanwhile, the preamble of the Constitution of Azerbaijan contains a reference to the Declaration of Independence of 1918, which states that the regions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and parts of Lori, Tavush, Shirak, Armavir, Ararat and Gegharkunik, making up about 60% of the territory of Armenia, are part of Azerbaijan.
<Thus, it is obvious that the Constitution of Azerbaijan includes territorial claims against Armenia. However, Armenia chooses not to raise the issue of amending the Constitution for two reasons. Firstly, doing so would likely stall the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. Secondly, the agreed part of the text of the peace treaty contains an article according to which the parties cannot refer to domestic legislation as excuses for not fulfilling this agreement. Additionally, another article in the peace treaty states that both parties acknowledge each other's territorial integrity, renounce any current or future territorial claims and commit to refraining from making such claims in the future>, Pashinyan said.