Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated that the newly proposed Constitution, which his administration seeks to put to a referendum, shall not contain a reference to the Declaration of Independence, unlike the current one.

The current constitution contains a reference to the Declaration of Independence in its preamble. Pashinyan earlier said that the Declaration of Independence, which mentions Karabakh, is structured around a logic of conflict.

“I know there are many discussions on this issue, particularly about whether the text of the new Constitution should include a reference to the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. I have clearly stated my position on this matter, saying that the new Constitution should not contain a reference to the Declaration of Independence. And what is the reasoning behind this? It is very simple.

Yesterday I also spoke about, and in recent years I have consistently spoken about, the need not to continue the Karabakh movement. If we adopt a new Constitution today and its preamble includes a reference to the Declaration of Independence, that would mean we are continuing the Karabakh movement. If we continue the Karabakh movement, that means we are resuming the conflict with Azerbaijan; and if we resume the conflict with Azerbaijan, that means peace will not be possible.

If we refer to the Declaration of Independence, it also means that we are adopting the narrative of ‘Western Armenia,’ and indirectly adopting the narrative of ‘Armenia from sea to sea.’

The nuance here is this: if we adopt those narratives, we effectively rule out, for example, ending the narratives of ‘Western Azerbaijan’ and ‘Eastern Turkey,’” said Nikol Pashinyan, while presenting the Civil Contract party’s election program.

“Now, in Armenia’s domestic political life, there is also much discussion, and it is being said that this is a demand of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. I say: let us ask ourselves—do we want this or not, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia?

I have clearly stated that we should not continue the Karabakh movement; we must end the Karabakh movement. That is, today in Armenia the Karabakh movement is already discontinued—at least at the official and public levels. Armenia is a democratic state, and if the citizens of the Republic of Armenia decide otherwise, naturally I, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the Civil Contract party will take that decision into account.

There is no subject for debate here; we have never questioned, and will never question, the people’s right to decide anything. But we are also obliged, as a political force with a mandate from the citizens of Armenia, to present the political content—or our understanding of that content—that we have formed through experience, including over the past eight years of our activity,” said Nikol Pashinyan.

“This observation becomes more substantiated with each passing day, because the success of the ‘tripartite war party’ in elections would mean the continuation of the Karabakh movement, with all the consequences that would follow from it,” the Prime Minister said, referring to the parties led by Samvel Karapetyan, former President Robert Kocharyan, and Gagik Tsarukyan, whom he describes as a “tripartite war party.”

Pashinyan highlighted that the Civil Contract party is the only political force that clearly speaks about the need to abandon the abovementioned narratives. 

“Moreover, we are clearly saying: dear people, if we do this half-heartedly or just for show, it will not work. We must clearly and sincerely focus on the ideology of ‘Real Armenia.’ Our ideology is that we must concentrate on the internationally recognized sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and on ensuring the security and well-being of the citizens of Armenia,” Nikol Pashinyan explained.

He emphasized that, based on the results of the upcoming elections in Armenia, a historical-political revolution is expected, as in his contacts with citizens he feels that the “Real Armenia” ideology is being understood by the Armenian people.

“If the ideology of ‘Real Armenia’ were not understood by the people of Armenia, I would not be Prime Minister today, because in 2024, if I am not mistaken, I said that as Prime Minister of Armenia I have decided that we will not continue the Karabakh movement, and if the people disagree with this decision, I call on them to go out, carry out a revolution, and remove me from the office of Prime Minister.

The citizens of Armenia also have that opportunity in the upcoming elections. But they also have the opportunity to carry out this historical-political revolution by focusing on the interests of our sovereign state and acting exclusively in accordance with those interests—that is, the security, prosperity, and peace of the citizens of Armenia. This is a historic choice, because for the first time in centuries we have the opportunity not to outsource our interests to others so that they, in turn, use those interests for their own purposes while sacrificing us. We have the opportunity to focus, to confront our problems, and to reach agreements in our own environment…

The end of the Karabakh movement also means the end of the narrative of ‘Western Azerbaijan’ and similar narratives. And this is a historic opportunity for everyone—not only for Armenia, but also for the region. When we make this proposal, no one can reject it—neither in the region nor in the world—because it is a legitimate proposal, grounded in legitimacy,” said Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan has spoken about the need to adopt a new constitution for many years, since his early years in office. He argues that the current constitution—with its most recent amendments made in 2015—lacks any “organic link” with the people, since the legitimacy of the referendums is questioned.