No constitutional obstacles for peace with Azerbaijan, but new text needed before Elections – Justice Ministry

YEREVAN, January 14. /ARKA/. A new text of the Constitution of Armenia will be required before the 2026 parliamentary elections, stated Armenian Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan.

"In connection with issues related to the peace agenda (with Azerbaijan - ed.), there is no need to amend the Constitution. I consider this matter closed. The Constitutional Court has also stated this. The current text of the Constitution does not present any obstacles to the implementation of the peace process," Galyan said.

The head of the Ministry of Justice remarked that it is inappropriate to link the topic of a new Constitution for Armenia with the statements of another country.

"In 2018-2019, we had a concept for a new Constitution, but for some reason, this work did not come to a logical conclusion. It is necessary to develop a draft of a new Constitution, which must be either adopted or rejected via referendum. The current Constitution has many issues that need to be addressed, and it is essential to develop a concise and meaningful text for the foundational document," Galyan noted.

She also mentioned that from the perspective of human rights protection strategy, legislation is being developed to eliminate discrimination, particularly concerning national minorities. According to her, efforts need to focus on this direction.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia needs a new Constitution to make the country more competitive and viable in the new geopolitical conditions. Later, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan called the view that the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process is the reason for changing the Constitution an exaggeration, and he confirmed that Azerbaijan sees problems with Armenia's Declaration of Independence.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that peace between the two countries could be achieved if Armenia ends its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and amends the Constitution and other legal documents. He claimed that the Declaration of Independence of Armenia contains direct calls for the unification of Karabakh with Armenia, violating Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, and that references to this document are also included in Armenia's Constitution.