Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has described the text of the Declaration of Independence of 1990 as anti-state, claiming that it is not possible to build an independent state on its basis.
In a briefing with journalists on October 29, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s intention to adopt a new Constitution and announced that he sees an opportunity to get the support of the opposition without holding extraordinary parliamentary elections.
“With that text, it is not possible to have an independent state, that text is about the impossibility of having a state,” Pashinyan stated, referring to the Declaration of Independence.
The Prime Minister reminded that the adoption of the new Constitution was included in the “Civil Contract” pre-election program. According to him, having obtained the parliamentary majority as a result of the elections, the ruling power received a mandate from the citizens to implement that program.
Referring to the procedure for the adoption of the new Constitution, Pashinyan noted that after the discussions held in the National Assembly on October 28, a new opportunity to reach an agreement with the opposition arose.
“The probability is very high that the matter will not lead to early elections, but on the contrary, a proposal will be formulated that the opposition cannot refuse,” he said.
According to Pashinyan’s assessment, by connecting the constitutional changes with regional and international agendas, the opposition itself created an opportunity to secure the necessary parliamentary support for the referendum on the new Constitution through public pressure.
However, the Prime Minister did not specify what proposal could be presented to the opposition.
The Declaration of Independence of Armenia was adopted on August 23, 1990. The preamble of the current Constitution contains a reference to that document, which in turn is based on the December 1, 1989 decision on the reunification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinyan has stated many times in the past that there should be no reference to the Declaration of Independence in the new Constitution. According to him, maintaining that reference will mean continuing the logic of the Karabakh movement, which, according to the prime minister, is contrary to the policy of establishing peace in the region.
The amendment of the constitution is also a subject of disagreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Baku considers its change as a precondition for signing a peace agreement, claiming that the Declaration of Independence contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The authorities of Armenia declare that the adoption of the Constitution is an internal matter of the country and cannot be discussed with Azerbaijan.
The draft of the new Constitution has not been published yet. According to Pashinyan, the document will be presented in the near future, after which public discussions will begin.
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