At a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, which is considering ratification of the framework agreement on strategic cooperation concerning the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, Strong Armenia faction lawmaker Marianna Ghahramanyan asked Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ararat Mirzoyan what guarantees that Baku will sign the peace agreement after TRIPP is ratified.
Mirzoyan replied that mutual benefit is the guarantee and that no other guarantee exists, Panorama.am reports.
“Today, throughout the world, the real guarantee is mutual interest. We have an interest in this. We do not want war; we want peace and cooperation. We see that Azerbaijan wants the same,” he said.
Ghahramanyan also asked whether implementing the agreement would require amendments to Armenian legislation or whether existing legal regulations, particularly those governing customs and border procedures, would continue to apply in full.
“Does the TRIPP agreement envisage any changes to Armenian legislation, or will Armenian legislation, including customs and border regulations, remain fully applicable in their entirety?” Ghahramanyan asked.
She recalled having previously put the same question to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but said that, in her assessment, the prime minister “as is his habit, diverted the question and did not give a direct answer.”
Ararat Mirzoyan explained that a provision concerning possible legislative amendments is already included in the document under discussion. According to him, introducing relevant legislative changes after the signing and ratification of international agreements is a standard legal procedure.
“The document states that legislative amendments arising from the agreement may be necessary. Such amendments occur and have occurred before. Armenia has introduced them numerous times following the signing and ratification of other international treaties. This is an integral, almost inevitable part of international treaty relations,” the minister said.
The lawmaker, however, was not satisfied with the response. Ghahramanyan noted that the government had not clarified the substance of the proposed changes, which legal codes they would affect or which issues would require regulation.
“First, you are not specifying what changes are involved, which particular codes they concern or what matters they address. You are not making the process transparent.
“Why are you trying to rush the ratification of the TRIPP project when the head of your government has set 2031 as the target date for a peace agreement? What guarantees that Azerbaijan will proceed to sign the peace agreement after TRIPP is ratified, given that it has repeatedly presented this project as a precondition?” she said.
Responding to criticism concerning the pace of the process, Mirzoyan said the document had been in circulation since May, had passed the relevant stage of review by the Constitutional Court and had been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration in accordance with established procedures.
“What is rushed about this? We want to complete the documentation process as soon as possible, begin construction work, see trains running on the railway as soon as possible and start selling electricity. This is in Armenia’s interest. We have not delayed the process, but it is not being rushed either,” Mirzoyan said.
He also confirmed that Azerbaijan is raising the issue of amending Armenia’s Constitution, Aysor.am reports.
“Azerbaijan says, ‘I have initialed the peace agreement, but I am not prepared to sign it as long as your Constitution remains as it is.’ We respond that there is nothing in our Constitution that should cause concern,” Mirzoyan said.
He noted that the Armenian side does not share Azerbaijan’s position on the matter.
“And Azerbaijan says, ‘Very well, we do not share your position either,'” the foreign affairs and international trade minister added.
Mirzoyan assured lawmakers that Armenia and Azerbaijan are not currently negotiating anything concerning Armenia’s Constitution.
“Armenia has stated that we are ready to determine the place and time for signing the peace agreement as soon as possible. That position remains valid today,” Ararat Mirzoyan added.
