‘We need to settle relations with our Declaration of Independence’ – Pashinyan

‘YEREVAN, February 2. /ARKA/. ‘We need to settle relations with our Declaration of Independence,’ Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with Public Radio aired late on Thursday.

He reminded that Armenia's Declaration of Independence has three cornerstone provisions: historical justice, the desires of the Armenian people, and the resolution of the National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Supreme Council of Armenia on reunification.

"We constantly talk about how Azerbaijan and Turkey perceive some of these provisions. But why don't we wonder how Georgia perceives them? Why does Georgia have deep defense relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, but not with Armenia? Can it be related to the theses we have laid in the foundation of our state?", - he said.

The Prime Minister also questioned whether the state policy should really proceed from the joint resolution of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Armenia and the National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh of December 1, 1989 "On the Reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh".

"This is a matter of political choice. If we are guided by it, it means that we will never have peace. Moreover, it means that we will have war now. Because if we speak about how our economy is growing, how we are strengthening the army and will implement the provisions of our Declaration, it means that our neighbors will create an alliance for our destruction," he said.

Pashinyan did not deny Armenian opposition’s claims that he wants to change the constitution under pressure from Azerbaijan. At the same time, he said that Baku is publicly demanding such changes in an attempt to discredit constitutional reform and ultimately "weaken" Armenia.

He also admitted that the new constitution he envisions would not necessarily prevent Azerbaijani aggression.

On Armenia's Declaration of Independence and Constitution

The preamble of the Armenian Constitution mentions the Declaration of Independence, which refers to the reunification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

On January 19, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia needs a new Constitution that will make the country more competitive and viable in the new geopolitical conditions.

On January 24, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed that Azerbaijan sees problems in Armenia's Declaration of Independence.

On February 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that peace between the two countries can be achieved if Armenia puts an end to its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and amends the Constitution and other legal documents.

According to him, Armenia's Declaration of Independence contains direct calls for the unification of Karabakh with Armenia and violation of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and references to this document are also reflected in the Armenian Constitution. -0-