The latest feud between Baku and Yerevan has taken a new turn, with Baku leveling accusations against the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. Baku contends that Pashinyan has been presenting distorted information to the international community through his statements.
The spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizade, has shed light on this matter. He stated that despite the constructive and beneficial atmosphere of the meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was instigated by the German Chancellor, Pashinyan’s comments have caused distress. The meeting was aimed at addressing key issues such as the regulation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, border demarcation, and the establishment of a peace treaty.
To further elaborate, Hajizade singled out a particular statement made by Pashinyan during a meeting with the Armenian community in Munich. During this interaction, Pashinyan stated that “Karabakh’s right to self-determination is not protected by the international community.” However, Hajizade pointed out that Pashinyan failed to acknowledge that Azerbaijan’s claims to the territories are not baseless, but rather, it is the continuation of unsupported actions by the international community that is unfounded.
This observation, according to Hajizade, indirectly substantiates the fact that the demands from the Armenian side are persistent. He emphasized that claims relating to Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as outlined in Armenia’s Constitution and legislative acts, should be abolished.
It is noteworthy to mention that on January 19, Prime Minister Pashinyan declared the need for a new Constitution in Armenia. This announcement was met with the opposition’s response that Yerevan is keen on adopting a new Constitution at Baku’s behest. They alleged that the objective is to alter the Declaration of Independence, which currently refers to the reunification of Artsakh and Armenia. The Armenian government, however, has refuted these claims, denying any external coercion.
In a related development in February, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev explicitly stated that peace could only be achieved if changes were made to Armenia’s Constitution. President Aliyev perceives the existing wording of Armenia’s Declaration of Independence as a demonstration of territorial aspirations towards Azerbaijan.
