'Changing Armenia’s constitution is our decision, not others’,' Pashinyan says in briefing
Pashinyan on Armenia’s Declaration
Discussions on changing Armenia’s constitution serve Armenia’s own interests, not those of other countries, Nikol Pashinyan told journalists. During his weekly briefing, the Armenian prime minister made it clear that this is strictly an internal matter.
Baku has called for amendments to Armenia’s constitution as a precondition for signing a peace treaty. Azerbaijani officials argue that the current text contains territorial claims. The constitution itself does not include statements that directly support such concerns. However, it refers to the Declaration of Independence, which mentions the unification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We have not discussed this issue with any external force, we are not discussing it, and we will not discuss it. We are discussing it with our people,” Pashinyan said.
During the briefing, the prime minister also spoke about the parliamentary elections scheduled for June this year, the expectations and intentions of opposition candidates, and the possible consequences if the ruling party loses.
Key points from the briefing.
- Robert Kocharyan named prime minister candidate: will he become represent opposition in Armenia’s upcoming elections?
- ‘Let them bang their heads against the wall’: Armenia’s government reacts to proposal to join Russia’s Union State
- Poll: Will Armenia’s ruling party win June election?
- Disinformation ahead of Armenia’s elections: new claims exposed
‘The Declaration of Independence is a declaration of conflict‘
“The issue of the Declaration of Independence and the constitution is our internal matter, because we — not others — must define how we position ourselves in the world,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
He argued that Armenia’s Declaration of Independence is not a declaration of independence, but a declaration of conflict and dependence.
“Imagine you move into a new apartment. You live on the same landing and threaten neighbours across from you, to the side and on the other side, while declaring your independence. What does that mean? How will you live in such an environment under those threats?”
Pashinyan said one could live in such conditions only by expecting outside support. That, in turn, would lead to “ever-increasing dependence” on whoever provides that support.
To support his argument that constitutional changes are necessary for Armenia itself, he also used an analogy about traffic rules.
“If we keep getting hit [by cars], we should ask ourselves: maybe the problem is that we are on the road and do not understand traffic rules, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights?”
‘They want to run a stronghold, not a state‘
Pashinyan spoke at length about the parliamentary elections scheduled for this summer. He said that if forces advocating a “revision of peace” win, a new war with serious consequences could follow. In his view, the risks include not only territorial losses but also a loss of sovereignty.
“All these forces essentially act from a position of revising peace. That means an inevitable war. It would happen soon after the elections — at most, by the autumn.”
Pashinyan said some of these political forces “do not understand what they are saying, because the texts are written elsewhere”, while they act as “readers”. He did not specify which groups he meant. However, his examples suggested he was referring, among others, to Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party.
“I saw the phrase ‘strong peace’ in the news feed. Before that, I read headlines like ‘Forgive us, Artsakh… we will do this and that’. All this reflects a desire to revise peace. Any attempt to revise peace means war.”
Asked why opposition forces would want a war, Pashinyan replied:
“War would bring them the following: they would run a stronghold, not a state, because experience shows this is financially beneficial for them.”
The prime minister also said that all three forces advocating a “revision of peace” hold billion-dollar assets in Russia and Belarus.
“They have been told: if you want to keep these assets, work, sweat, run, do 30 push-ups. They will not manage it.”
Pashinyan appeared to be referring to:
former Armenian president and leader of the Armenia bloc, Robert Kocharyan,
Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian businessman who is under house arrest in Armenia on charges linked to calls to seize power,
and Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan, a major Armenian businessman with active business interests in Belarus.
The prime minister said the ruling Civil Contract party aims to secure a constitutional majority in the elections. He said this would allow his team to guarantee the “irreversibility” of the peace process.
Pashinyan on Armenia’s Declaration
