On July 3, Armenia’s Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan announced that the country’s Constitutional Reform Council will vote in the coming weeks on whether the 1990 Declaration of Independence should remain referenced in the new draft constitution — a politically sensitive issue at the heart of ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan.
Galyan emphasized that “no decision has yet been reached” and that discussions within the council are still underway. “We will make a decision based on the results of the discussions,” she said, adding that the issue remains “an internal matter” for Armenia.
The forthcoming meeting will mark the first time the Constitutional Reform Council has convened since Galyan assumed office six months ago. However, the justice minister did not specify a firm timeline for when the draft constitution might be finalized or made public, noting only that “multiple options remain on the table.” She later added that the draft could be ready within approximately ten months, depending on the pace of discussions.
The fate of the reference has become a major sticking point in Armenia’s efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan. In April, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly stated that the new constitution “must not contain” the reference to the 1990 Declaration, calling it a source of regional conflict.
Azerbaijan has made the removal of the clause a key precondition for concluding a long-anticipated peace treaty with Armenia. Baku argues that the Declaration of Independence — particularly its reference to a 1989 unification resolution between Soviet Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) — reflects irredentist claims that undermine the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
Adopted in 1990, Armenia’s Declaration of Independence lays out the foundational principles of the modern republic and includes references to the goal of unification with Artsakh. Azerbaijani officials have long maintained that retaining this language in Armenia’s constitution is incompatible with the principles of peace and mutual recognition.
Prime Minister Pashinyan has stated that a nationwide referendum on the new constitution is expected to take place in 2027, potentially alongside the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026. The Constitutional Reform Council is working toward finalizing the draft by the end of 2026.
