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Expert Onnik Krikoryan: 88 percent of Armenian citizens may oppose amendment

10 December 2024 11:40 (UTC +04:00)

"At some point, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also noted that constitutional amendments are necessary for peace with Azerbaijan," said expert Onnik Krikoryan, who joined the event titled "Main Obstacles to the Signing of the Peace Agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan" held in Baku via videoconference, APA reports.

Krikoryan added that although the idea of amending the Constitution of Armenia was put forward in 2021, it did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

"The amendments to the constitution initiated by former President Robert Kocharyan were unacceptable. Later, at the initiative of Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia switched to a parliamentary system. During his presidency, a revolution took place and Nikol Pashinyan came to power. Amendments to the Constitution can only be made through a referendum. The idea of amending the Constitution of Armenia was put forward in 2021, but did not take place due to the pandemic. At one time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also noted that constitutional amendments were necessary for peace with Azerbaijan. Coming to President Ilham Aliyev's thoughts on this, he said that in order for peace to be established, the constitution must first be amended. There was an opinion that the citizens of Armenia should decide on the conclusion of peace with Azerbaijan. I believe that Nikol Pashinyan wants a new constitution and wants to create a new Armenia by uprooting the remnants of the previous regime. Many people in Armenia are talking about the constitution. But it is possible that 88 percent of Armenian citizens will oppose the amendment. When I participated in the Baku Dialogue, I noted that Pashinyan does not know what he is planning. I think that there is no need for a referendum to change the basic law. The constitution cannot be changed just because of the preamble."