YEREVAN. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement in favor of adopting a new constitution has been dictated by the intention to comply with Azerbaijan's demands, a number of parliamentarians from the Armenia opposition faction said in a statement.
"The concerns that we have voiced regarding the logic of the current negotiating process and compliance with Azerbaijan's terms have unfortunately been proven justified by Nikol Pashinyan's statements on the need for a new constitution," parliamentarians Gegham Manukyan, Anna Grigoryan, Kristine Vardanyan, and Artur Khachatryan said in the statement circulated on Wednesday.
"We must recall that, among the continual demands being imposed on Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey, is removing provisions on supporting the right of the people of Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh] to self-determination and seeking the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide from Armenia's fundamental documents," the statement says.
By making a statement on a new constitution, Pashinyan "is laying the groundwork for satisfying new Turkish-Azerbaijani demands," the statement says.
Manukyan told the media that the Armenian government plans to remove from the preamble to the constitution a reference to the 1990 Declaration of Armenia's Independence, which mentions Nagorno-Karabakh.
The preamble also says that "the Republic of Armenia seeks the international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey and West Armenia."
Pashinyan called for adopting a new Armenian constitution on January 19.
"The Republic of Armenia needs a new constitution - not constitutional changes, but a new constitution. We should have a constitution that will make the Republic of Armenia more competitive and more viable in the new geopolitical and regional conditions," Pashinyan said.
The government's task is "to ensure that the Republic of Armenia succeeds in its internationally recognized territory as a sovereign, law-based, democratic and welfare state".
A new constitution can be adopted in Armenia via a referendum, provided that over half of voters cast their ballots in favor.
The preamble to the current Armenian constitution includes a reference to the Declaration of Armenia's Independence, which stipulates that the Republic of Armenia is "aware of its historic responsibility for the destiny of the Armenian people engaged in the realization of the aspirations of all Armenians and the restoration of historical justice; exercising the right of nations to free self-determination; based on the December 1, 1989, joint decision of the Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet and the Nagorno-Karabakh National Council on the 'Reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh'."