Pashinyan says new Armenian constitution should not reference Declaration of I

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the country’s proposed new constitution should not include a reference to Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, arguing that the document reflects a “logic of conflict” that is incompatible with building a stable independent state.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan said the declaration was drafted in a context shaped by conflict and that relying on it as a constitutional foundation could perpetuate that dynamic.

“It is impossible to build an independent state while proceeding from a logic of conflict,” Pashinyan said. “The new constitution should not refer to the Declaration of Independence because that document is built on that logic.”

The prime minister also addressed his earlier remark that Catholicos Karekin II, whom he refers to by his lay name Ktrich Nersisyan, and figures close to him had assumed leadership of what he described as a “party of war”. Pashinyan said the comment was prompted by his observations during church services.

According to the prime minister, he has attended services where clergy departed from the official liturgical text and referred to Artsakh.

“When references to the Republic of Artsakh are made in that context, it effectively means adopting a theory that leads to conflict,” Pashinyan said.

He argued that such language implies an inevitable return to confrontation.

“Every such sentence is essentially a call for war — whether today, tomorrow or later,” he said. “I cannot say exactly when, but it is a call for war.”