On April 23, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Armenia must change its constitution and establish an extraterritorial corridor to the Nakhichevan exclave as “preconditions” for peace, emphasizing that these changes are crucial for a comprehensive peace agreement between the two South Caucasus nations.
“The Armenians must change their constitution,” said Aliyev, adding, “I’m not saying this to interfere in another country’s internal affairs but because the constitution of Armenia references the [1990] declaration of independence, which states that the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is part of Armenia. How can we sign a peace treaty when they have such a reference in their constitution?”
He continued, “So I’m saying that they must change their constitution not because I’m rude or arrogant but because it’s a precondition.” Aliyev reiterated his demand, first made on February 1, that Armenia remove the reference to the 1990 declaration, which includes a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
Aliyev also renewed his demand for the opening of the “Zangezur corridor,” that would connect Nakhichevan to the rest of Azerbaijan through Armenia’s Syunik province. He cited a clause in the Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the 2020 Artsakh War.
Aliyev claimed, “They [the Armenians] are trying to get rid of that provision,” adding, “But that’s not possible.”
In response, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that during last year’s peace talks and written exchanges, both sides agreed to ensure that “they cannot refer to their respective laws to refuse to comply with any provisions of the peace treaty,” which would commit them to recognize each other’s territorial integrity. In January, Pashinyan announced the need for a new constitution to reflect the “new geopolitical environment,” a move his critics say was influenced by Azerbaijani pressure.
Pashinyan has denied that his push for constitutional changes is at the behest of Azerbaijan. However, he acknowledged that peace with Azerbaijan will remain elusive as long as the constitutional reference to the 1990 declaration remains.
The Armenian government has maintained that Azerbaijani passengers and cargo passing through Syunik must adhere to Armenian border controls, advocating for conventional transport links. Syunik, being the only Armenian province bordering Iran, has led Tehran to strongly oppose the corridor sought by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
This renewed demand from Aliyev follows his successful pressure on Pashinyan’s administration to cede four disputed border areas to Azerbaijan, marking the start of what Baku and Yerevan describe as the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This action has been strongly condemned by Armenian opposition leaders and critics, who argue that yielding to Azerbaijani demands will only encourage Baku to seek further concessions.
