Pashinyan orders draft of new Armenian constitution amid peace talks with Baku

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has instructed the drafting of a new constitution in response to Azerbaijan’s demands. The key request from Baku is the removal of a clause in the Armenian constitution that references the reunification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Pashinyan has tasked the Constitutional Reforms Council with developing and approving the new constitution by December 30, 2026.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stipulated this constitutional amendment as a primary condition for reaching a peace agreement with Armenia.

In 2023, Azerbaijan regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh through a swift military offensive, asserting its claim under international law. Since the mid-1990s, the region had been under Armenian control. 

 

Following Azerbaijan’s takeover, tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh, seeking refuge in Armenia.