What is wrong with the Armenian Constitution? - a reminder for Pashinyan

It's about the sea again...

On Friday, Nikol Pashinyan gave a press conference, during which he again talked a lot of nonsense, giving an excuse to rinse his name in the media and social networks. For the hundredth time, he repeated narratives that had already been refuted and scrapped as many times. He spoke, among other things, about the Armenian Constitution and other issues that make life difficult for Armenia in the region.

"I have already said, referring to the decision of the Constitutional Court, that de jure it has been confirmed that there are no territorial claims against Azerbaijan in our Constitution. On the other hand, we see that the Constitution of Azerbaijan has territorial claims against our country, but we do not raise the issue of changing the Constitution of Azerbaijan, because there are articles in the agreed part of the peace treaty that, if signed and ratified, close all these issues," Pashinyan said. 

Following a very strange logic, the Armenian Prime Minister tried to assure that as soon as a peace treaty is signed, all problems will be solved immediately. And the funny thing is that after signing, the agreement will be sent to the Constitutional Court to verify its compliance with the Constitution of Armenia... It will be interesting to look at the faces of the members of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, who will have to verify the compliance of the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan with the toxic aspects in the Basic Law of their own country. It is clear to everyone that it will be very difficult to find a match here.

Of course, the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan cannot in any way correspond to the Constitution, the preamble of which states that "the Armenian people, based on the fundamental principles of Armenian statehood and national goals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia, which fulfilled the sacred covenant of its freedom-loving ancestors ..." and so on. What are these fundamental principles of the "freedom-loving ancestors"? To find out, we open the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, where the following is written in black and white: "The Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR, expressing the united will of the Armenian people... implementing the right of nations to free self-determination based on the joint Resolution of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR and the National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh dated December 1, 1989 "On the reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh"... PROCLAIMS: The beginning of the process of establishing independent statehood."

What could be unclear here? Armenia declared its independence, including the territories of Azerbaijan. She began the process of establishing her statehood with a gross violation of international law. And these violations were subsequently consolidated by its Constitution, based, once again, on the "fundamental principles" proclaimed by the Declaration of Independence. No matter how hard you try, it still turns out to be a vicious circle. Azerbaijan offers to break it, but Nikol Pashinyan continues to go in a circle, returning to the same point each time.

The Prime Minister of Armenia pretends that he does not understand the place of the Constitution. It is no coincidence that this document is called the Basic Law of the country. It stands above all other laws, as well as Yerevan's signatures under international treaties. It doesn't matter what is stated in the text of the draft peace treaty. The decision of the RA Constitutional Court, which, for Pashinyan's sake, will find compliance with the peace treaty with Azerbaijan with the Constitution of Armenia, will also have no significance. But what will happen when the government changes in the country, another prime minister will come, at whose direction the Constitutional Court will not turn a blind eye to the inconsistency of the treaty with the "fundamental principles of freedom-loving ancestors." And what will happen in this case? The peace treaty will be considered invalid.

It is even inconvenient to endlessly repeat these elementary truths.

A few months ago, the Constitutional Court of Armenia, at the request of Pashinyan, already announced that the Declaration of Independence is an empty phrase and does not affect the Constitution in any way. Even a schoolboy can see that this is utter nonsense. And one can understand the outburst of indignation and nationalist hysteria that engulfed the neighbors after such a conclusion of the Constitutional Court. Moreover, in 2010, the same Constitutional Court decided in advance that no international treaties could be in conflict with the paragraphs of the Declaration and, accordingly, the preamble to the Constitution.

And a few words about the "mirror" accusations against Azerbaijan. In short, the reference to the ADR heritage has nothing to do with the territorial issue. This is a matter of political inheritance of the principles of statehood laid down by the first democratic state in the East.

Azerbaijan can help Armenia break the vicious circle. She only needs to say yes.