Pashinian for the first time said publicly that a new Armenian constitution sought by him must carry no reference to a 1990 declaration of independence which 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 country’s current constitution. Azerbaijan says that this amounts to a claim to Karabakh recaptured by Baku in 2023. It has made clear that it will not sign an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty finalized last month unless Yerevan removes the reference. The only legal way to do that is to adopt a new constitution through a referendum.
While insisting that the current constitution contains no territorial claims, Pashinian pledged last year to try to change it. He also criticized the 1990 declaration, saying that it precludes peace with Azerbaijan.
“I have said that this text means that there cannot be an independent republic, statehood of Armenia,” Pashinian told reporters on Wednesday. “If I say that, therefore, I cannot say that there should be a reference to the Declaration of Independence in the text of the new constitution. On the contrary, I can say that in my opinion, there should be no reference to the Declaration of Independence in the text of the new constitution.”
“But I also want to say that it’s up to the people of the Republic of Armenia to decide,” he said, speaking after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s rejection of his repeated appeals to sign the peace deal made in recent weeks.
Armenian opposition leaders portrayed the remarks as further proof that Pashinian wants to change the constitution at the behest of Baku.
“Pashinian is ready to make any concessions, as he has done since November 2020, in order to cling to power,” said Artur Khachatrian of the main opposition Hayastan alliance.
Hayastan and other opposition groups have pledged to mobilize Armenians to reject the new constitution in the planned referendum. They say that Pashinian’s continuing unilateral concessions only encourage Aliyev to make more demands on Armenia and will therefore not bring real peace.
Possible dates of the referendum remain unclear. Pashinian indicated his intention to hold it in 2027 when he tasked a government commission last May with drafting the new constitution. But his justice minister, Srbuhi Galian, has said this year that the draft will be ready before Armenia’s next general elections due in June 2026.
Galian said on April 6 that the drafting process has already begun. The Armenian Justice Ministry declined afterwards to clarify who is working on the text.