We Can Send the Constitutions of Both Countries for Expertise: Alen Simonian

The President of the National Assembly, Alen Simonian, has stated that they are ready to discuss and understand whether there are territorial claims against Azerbaijan in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and conversely in that country’s constitution.

“Ultimately, how will that issue be resolved? We say that once our internal institutions pass, such questions will not arise anymore. In the end, we can send the constitutions of both countries for expertise to find out whether those claims have any relation to reality,” he said, adding that it is always possible to find some pretext. “Until now, we have tried to have a rationale in negotiations with Azerbaijan, and we have worked with them based on that logic. I believe that the continuation will also be reasoned and justified, rather than dictated by internal audiences or political statements,” he noted.

When asked what mechanisms would be used to send the constitution for expertise, he cited an example: “We can send the constitutions of both countries to the Venice Commission and let the Venice Commission say whether such a thing exists or not.” Meanwhile, he reminded the Armenian side's arguments, which indicate that there are no territorial claims in the Armenian Constitution.