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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has disclosed new details from a recent closed-door meeting with Azerbaijan, highlighting a key sticking point delaying the finalization of a peace agreement between the two sides, AzerNEWS reports via Armenpress.

Speaking at a parliamentary committee hearing, Mirzoyan said that Baku has not formally demanded constitutional changes from Armenia, but has made clear it will not sign the already initialed peace deal as long as references related to Karabakh remain in Armenia’s Constitution.

“When we say that we cannot discuss our Constitution with you because it is Armenia’s internal affair… they respond: ‘Very well… we are simply informing you that as long as your Constitution contains these provisions, we are not prepared to finally sign the peace agreement,’” Mirzoyan said, responding to a question from opposition MP Kristine Vardanyan.

He emphasized that Yerevan considers the signing and ratification of the peace agreement as the most effective way to eliminate what it sees as misinterpretations.

The dispute centers on Armenia’s constitutional preamble, which references the 1990 Declaration of Independence and, indirectly, Karabakh. Azerbaijan has repeatedly argued that this constitutes a territorial claim, while Armenia rejects the accusation, pointing to a ruling by its Constitutional Court stating that the reference does not imply such claims.

Mirzoyan noted that this issue remains one of the main points of divergence between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the administration of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has launched a broader constitutional reform process. Armenian officials insist, however, that these changes are part of long-standing internal plans and are not linked to negotiations with Azerbaijan.