Preamble change not discussed in Constitutional reforms, says Deputy Justice Minister

The Armenian Justice Ministry is currently working on the new text of the Constitution but changing the preamble is not considered, according to Deputy Minister Tigran Dadunts.

Azerbaijan has been demanding Armenian constitutional changes as a precondition for signing the peace treaty, falsely claiming that the preamble of the document contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

The Armenian government said that the new text must be ready until the next general election due in 2026.

Dadunts told reporters on Thursday that significant work has been done around the concept of the constitution during the past few years.

“And now, based on the conceptual documents, and the proposals submitted by members of the council [for constitutional reforms], we are working on the text in order to accelerate the work,” he said.

The Council for Constitutional Reforms is also functioning. Dadunts said the ministry will submit the newly developed text, as soon as it is ready, to members of the council for proposals.

Asked whether changes in the constitution’s preamble are discussed, Dadunts said, “At this moment no issue of change in the preamble is discussed.”

Speaking about the Azeri claims about the preamble, Dadunts cited the high court’s ruling stating that the provisions of the Declaration of Independence do not hinder the interpretation or application of the Constitution. 

The Azeri claims pertain to a mention of the Armenian Declaration of Independence in the preamble of the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence, in turn, mentions Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Armenia has numerously denied the Azeri allegations of having territorial claims in the constitution.