The Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders sounded satisfied with the results of the talks, with Aliyev calling them “constructive and useful.” Meeting with members of the Armenian community in Munich on Sunday, Pashinian confirmed that the foreign ministers of the two South Caucasus states will meet soon for further discussions on a bilateral peace treaty.
He also said that both sides remain committed to their understandings on the basic parameters of that treaty reached during their earlier contacts organized by the European Union. Earlier this year, Yerevan accused Baku of walking away from those understandings and laying claim to Armenian territory.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Armenia itself has territorial claims to Azerbaijan. The ministry spokesman, Aykhan Hajizade, pointed to Pashinian’s Sunday remark that “Karabakh’s right to self-determination is not supported by the international community.” He said Pashinian should have said instead that the Armenian “claims to Azerbaijan's territory are groundless.”
“This once again indirectly proves that the demands of the Armenian side are continuing,” added Hajizade. “In this regard, the claims to our territorial integrity and sovereignty reflected in the Armenian constitution and legislative acts should be removed.”
Aliyev said on February 1 that Armenia should remove from its constitution a reference to its 1990 declaration of independence which in turn mentions a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. He reiterated on February 14 that he will not sign the peace treaty “if Armenia does not bring its legislation to a normal state.”
Pashinian rejected those demands the following day. The Armenian premier himself declared last month, before Aliyev’s statements on the issue, that Armenia needs a new constitution reflecting the “new geopolitical environment” in the region. He went on to criticize the 1990 declaration.
His political foes and other critics say that he wants to enact a new constitution under Azerbaijani pressure. Pashinian denies this.