Speaking to reporters in parliament, Galian said the current draft text does not yet include a preamble, where the reference appears in Armenia’s existing constitution. She added that discussions on the draft are still ongoing within the government and the ruling party’s parliamentary faction, and that the full text, including the preamble, will be published at a later stage.

Azerbaijan has argued that the reference to the 1990 Declaration of Independence in Armenia’s constitution amounts to a territorial claim to Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that was predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians and remained outside Baku’s control for decades until Azerbaijan completed its military takeover in 2023, triggering an exodus of the local Armenian population.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian recently reiterated his position that Armenia’s new constitution should not include any reference to the declaration. The document, adopted in 1990, cites a 1989 unification act between Soviet Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Let me tell you why: because the Declaration of Independence is built on the logic of conflict. We cannot follow the logic of conflict if we want to build an independent state,” Pashinian said in a video message last week.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated that Baku will not sign a peace treaty with Armenia, initialed last August, unless the reference is removed from Armenia’s constitution. Under Armenian law, such a change would require the adoption of a new constitution through a national referendum.

Pashinian has said the new constitution would be put to a referendum after parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7. Galian did not rule out that a draft could be published before the vote, but noted it would not be a final version and could still be revised.

She also stressed that Armenia should avoid legal provisions that contradict its peace agenda.

“I don’t want you to get the impression that we are avoiding presenting what exactly will be included in the preamble,” Galian said. “The Constitution isn’t just a bill. It’s the legal foundation of our state, and we certainly can’t summarize all of our approaches in a single discussion.”

Noting that while there is no date set for the referendum yet, the minister gave assurances that the public will be given sufficient time to review the draft before voting.

Opposition groups have criticized Pashinian’s stance, arguing that removing the reference to the Declaration of Independence from the constitution would amount to a unilateral concession to Azerbaijan and could lead to further demands without ensuring lasting peace.

Edmon Marukian, leader of the opposition Bright Armenia party formerly allied to Pashinian, likened the potential move to stripping Armenia from its birth certificate.

“When the leader of Armenia says that our Declaration of Independence is a declaration of conflict, he thereby testifies against his own state, that it is his country that provoked the conflict,” Marukian said.

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