Armenia’s leadership has recently expressed its readiness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan within the next month while simultaneously attempting to persuade the international community that the country’s constitution contains no territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any other nation. This sentiment was echoed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a recent meeting of the CIS Council of Leaders in Moscow.
“Armenia is prepared to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan this month, which is our official stance. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia has affirmed that the signed provision complies with our Constitution. This recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, based on the Almaty Declaration and encompassing the entire territory of Soviet Azerbaijan, is constitutional. Consequently, there are no territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any other country in Armenia’s Constitution,” Pashinyan stated.
He further indicated that the draft treaty titled “On Establishing Peace and Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan” is at least 80 per cent finalized.
“We propose to Azerbaijan a straightforward approach: sign what has already been agreed upon to achieve not only de facto but also de jure peace while continuing to address other issues. It’s important to acknowledge that it’s impossible to create a peace treaty that resolves all questions or covers every aspect of bilateral relations. Nevertheless, significant and fundamental issues will remain, necessitating further agreements and treaties,” the Armenian leader concluded.
It is evident from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks that Yerevan is seeking to sign a “truncated” peace treaty without amending the Republic of Armenia’s Constitution, thereby retaining its territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The Armenian government appears to be naively optimistic that it can persuade Baku to sign its version of the treaty before the upcoming COP29 climate change conference, as indicated by recent statements from Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian to Reuters. “Yerevan hopes that Baku will sign the agreed articles before the COP29 conference, which will take place in Baku from November 11 to 22,” Khachaturian said.
Additionally, during a speech at the Hamburg Stability Forum, the Armenian president stated that Armenia would sign the peace treaty immediately if it were solely up to the Armenian side. “We hope that sooner or later we will reach this point,” Khachaturian remarked.
The Armenian authorities’ vigorous efforts on this issue appear to be driven by a strategic objective: to position Armenia as a peacemaker while portraying Azerbaijan as an adversary reluctant to finalize a peace treaty. Through its various manoeuvres, official Yerevan is striving to maintain Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan at the legislative level. This is why Pashinyan’s administration frequently reiterates that any constitutional revision is an internal matter for Armenia.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan recently added to the escalating tensions by accusing Baku of lacking the political will to sign a peace agreement with Armenia during discussions in Warsaw. He further alleged that Azerbaijan has plans to launch military operations against Yerevan
“…For some reason, due to certain calculations, they put forward new preconditions every time, and we see that Baku simply does not want to sign the document… We do not see political will on the Azerbaijani side,” Mirzoyan declared.
From Yerevan’s perspective, it seems the Armenian authorities had anticipated that by supporting Azerbaijan’s candidacy for COP29 last year, Baku would become more accommodating, yielding its principles and agreeing to the Armenian version of the peace treaty before November. However, this expectation appears to be a miscalculation. Azerbaijan’s position remains steadfast, and each time Armenia provokes it, Baku reinforces its stance, making it clear that external pressure is futile and that it will not compromise its national interests. Azerbaijan has unequivocally stated that the peace treaty will be signed only after Armenia removes its territorial claims from its constitution.
It is apparent that Yerevan is eager to finalize some form of agreement before November to appease its domestic audience and prepare for potential conflict, disregarding internal issues. This urgency is compounded by the West’s indulgence of Armenia’s ambitions, which inadvertently serves the interests of external players. However, it is crucial to note that the Pashinyan government’s attempts to manipulate the situation are likely to fail. Continuing along this destructive path poses a significant risk to Armenia’s statehood.
Matanat Nasibova
Caliber.Az
