Go big or go home

Ilham Aliyev wants to change the constitution. Well, if he wishes so, good luck with that. The only issue is that he swung not at the constitution of Azerbaijan, but at the fundamental law of Armenia.

However, can one refer to such attempts as an issue? Baku’s interference in the internal affairs of Yerevan, which takes place with the de facto tacit consent of the incumbent Armenian leadership, has almost become commonplace. In February earlier this year, Aliyev already demanded Armenian legislation to be brought to a “normal state” for the sake of the peace treaty. Therefore, the fresh ultimatum calling for amendments to the Armenian constitution is only a natural continuation of the February message.

It is worth recognizing that Azerbaijan is acting as quite a rational player. The so-called peace treaty in the current context is in essence an official reinforcement of Armenia’s political capitulation. Aliyev seeks to capitalize on the momentum, so that even at the level of normative documents it would not leave the Armenian people any loopholes for the return of Artsakh in the future. Especially since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself is not averse to giving “half the kingdom” for “peace with annexations and contributions”. The tragedy is that the former looks at the situation strategically, based on political realities, and realizes that crossing Artsakh out of the legislative framework is tantamount to a symbolic victory over Yerevan, while the latter, to all appearances, is dwelling in the world of his dreams and fantasies, seriously believing that by going along with the enemy and crossing out everything related to Artsakh, he will be able to go down in history as the founding father of the “new independent Armenia”.

Artsakh is the be-all and end-all of Armenian statehood. No Artsakh, no Armenia. It is a pity that this formula is well understood in Baku, while the figures occupying offices in the Government House in Yerevan persistently ignore it.