Pashinyan says constitutional changes a domestic priority, not tied to Azerbaijan's demands

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that his government's plans to adopt a new constitution stemmed from its election mandate and were not driven by demands from Azerbaijan, after Baku again insisted constitutional changes were a prerequisite for signing a peace treaty.

Responding to comments by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Pashinyan said Armenia's constitutional reform agenda was an internal matter that should not be negotiated as part of foreign policy.

"We will continue working to further institutionalise peace. As I have said before, we do not discuss matters concerning Armenia's domestic affairs within the framework of foreign policy," Pashinyan told reporters.

Earlier on Thursday, Bayramov reaffirmed Azerbaijan's longstanding position that Armenia must amend its constitution to remove what Baku describes as territorial claims against Azerbaijan before a peace agreement can be signed.

"President Ilham Aliyev has already expressed Azerbaijan's official position. We expect territorial claims against Azerbaijan to be removed from Armenia's constitution. After that, a peace agreement can be signed," Bayramov said.

Pashinyan said the adoption of a new constitution had been included in the ruling Civil Contract party's election program, making it a political commitment independent of Azerbaijan's demands.

"The need to adopt a new constitution is set out in our election program. 726,000 people voted in support of that program," he said.

He acknowledged that the current balance of power in parliament meant constitutional changes could not be enacted through the usual legislative process, but said the commitment remained in place.

"That agenda exists. It is an election commitment. We need to analyse the situation and determine our approach to this issue," he said.