A senior Azerbaijani official has declared that the path to a final peace agreement hinges entirely on Yerevan amending its founding legal document, raising the stakes in the protracted post-conflict negotiations.
“Constitutional hurdle”
The administration in Baku has made its firmest statement yet regarding the normalisation of relations, insisting that Armenia must strip its Constitution of any articles implying territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Turkey. The declaration was made by Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, during an interview with the Turkish television channel Haber Global on Tuesday.
“Once the territorial claims against Azerbaijan are removed from the preamble of the new Constitution, the obstacles to the final signing of the peace agreement will vanish,” Hajiyev stated. He noted that, in practical terms, a de facto peace had already taken hold in the region.
A question of internal reform
The demand comes as Yerevan prepares for a major legislative overhaul. Hajiyev pointed to the imminent process of adopting a new constitution in Armenia, a procedure that requires a nationwide referendum. The timing underscores a critical phase in Armenian domestic politics following the recent re-appointment of Nikol Pashinyan.
On August 2, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan formally re-appointed the Civil Contract party leader as the country’s prime minister. Back in May, Pashinyan had signalled his intention to initiate the adoption of a new constitution after the parliamentary elections held on July 7. However, he concurrently stressed that Yerevan had never discussed the issue of its constitution with Baku or other partners, framing it strictly as an internal Armenian matter.
A precondition for peace
The public statements from Baku further cement constitutional reform as a precondition rather than a parallel track. On July 9, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced that his country had completed all necessary procedures for the final approval of the peace agreement with Armenia. He, too, listed the elimination of territorial pretensions from Armenia’s Constitution as a vital requirement for sealing the deal.
The insistence on amending the preamble — which some officials argue references a declaration of independence that lays claim to territories internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan and Turkey — continues to be a significant sticking point as the two nations edge closer to a comprehensive settlement.
