Ruben Rubinyan: Armenia's new constitution could be discussed alongside Azerbaijan peace deal

Ruben Rubinyan, speaker of the Armenian parliament, said the authorities do not rule out discussing the simultaneous signing of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and the adoption of a new constitution. He made the remarks in parliament in a conversation with journalists.

Rubinyan said the opposition has linked constitutional changes to the peace agreement process and raised questions about the consequences of such a scenario. He rejected claims that the process had reached a deadlock, stressing that the new constitution is being written from scratch, so the reference to the Declaration of Independence cannot be removed from the existing constitution. He added that the draft text will be made public.

Rubinyan did not rule out political consequences for the authorities if the draft is rejected in a referendum, and recalled the snap parliamentary elections held in 2021. He also said that a scenario outlined earlier by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, involving help for the opposition in holding a referendum and the authorities' possible resignation if the constitution is rejected, was not a pre-agreed proposal. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had earlier said he would secure opposition support for the new constitution through public pressure.