A senior lawmaker representing Pashinian’s Civil Contract party confirmed on Tuesday that the constitution drafted by the Armenian Justice Ministry early this year makes no reference to a 1990 declaration of independence that in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The declaration is referenced in a preamble to the current Armenian constitution. Baku makes the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty conditional on the preamble’s removal. The only legal way to do is to adopt a new constitution through a referendum.

“The Declaration of Independence is our country’s birth certificate,” said Narek Karapetian, the parliamentary leader of the Strong Armenia alliance. “How can we burn it 35 years on?”

“We have made clear that we stand for peace but don’t agree with the notion that we must burn our birth certificate and adopt [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev’s constitution,” Karapetian told journalists.

Kristine Vartanian, a lawmaker representing the opposition Hayastan alliance, likewise accused Pashinian of seeking to enact “Aliyev’s constitution.”

Appealing to Armenians on the parliament floor, Vartanian said: “You are told to dismantle with your own hands the Republic of Armenia for which just about every Armenian family has shed blood … Nikol Pashinian, who had accused the former Armenian authorities of enacting constitutions that suit them, has committed himself to enacting a constitution that suits Aliyev and wants to turn you into his accomplices.”

Eduard Aghajanian, a parliament deputy from the ruling Civil Contract party, countered that the proposed change is consistent with the Pashinian government’s recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We stated that we will not continue the Karabakh movement,” said Aghajanian. “After that the people made their choice in general elections [held in June,] Respect and reckon with the choice of the Armenian people.”

But Anna Grigorian, Hayastan’s parliamentary leader, argued that “despite all the vote irregularities” Civil Contract fell short of a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly required for putting the draft constitution on a referendum. She said Pashinian’s party therefore has no mandate to try to change the current constitution.

“Nor has anyone authorized us to carry out such a change,” added Grigorian.

A senior aide to Aliyev said last week that Baku is “receiving signals that the process of adopting a new constitution will begin in Armenia in the near future.” It remains unclear how Pashinian and his political team hope to expedite it.

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