Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the text of a new Constitution would be published soon, followed by public discussions involving citizens and parliament.
Pashinyan made the remarks in response to MP Garnik Davtyan during a government question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
The prime minister recalled that adopting a new Constitution had been included in his party’s election manifesto and was now also part of the Government’s programme.
“The text of the new Constitution will be published soon, and we will begin discussions with the people of the Republic of Armenia, including parliament. Of course, there will first be a public discussion over the coming months, after which the remaining stages will proceed in accordance with the established procedure,” Pashinyan said.
He also reaffirmed that Armenia did not intend to discuss constitutional matters with external actors.
“We have our strategy, and we are moving forward in line with it. And yes, we are also telling Azerbaijan that the Constitution is our internal affair,” the prime minister said.
Pashinyan said certain statements about the Constitution could have domestic political repercussions. He noted that they sometimes gave the impression of being intended to provoke domestic political instability in Armenia.
“We are clearly telling Azerbaijan that we do not intend to discuss the Constitution with them, and it is unacceptable to us that certain issues are being exploited and, in particular, giving our opposition ammunition,” Pashinyan said.
