Protests Erupt in Armenia as Prime Minister Pashinyan Nears Peace Treaty with Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  announced on Wednesday that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan is nearing completion. However, he firmly rejected Baku's demands for Armenia to amend its constitution. Following his comments, violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators in Yerevan, marking the latest in a series of protests against Pashinyan's policies, including the return of ruined villages to Azerbaijan and calls for his resignation.

Reports and video footage from the Armenian capital showed police deploying stun grenades to disperse protesters gathered around the parliament building. The demonstrators, led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, later moved to the government building before eventually dispersing. According to police officials quoted by Russian news agencies, 17 officers were injured in the clashes. The Interior Ministry reported that 79 civilians were hurt and 98 were detained.

Why It Matters : The potential peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a significant development in one of the longest-running conflicts in the former Soviet Union. The conflict, which began in the late 1980s over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, has seen multiple flare-ups and a devastating war in 2020. The recent negotiations and the nearing peace treaty could bring much-needed stability to the region. However, the internal unrest in Armenia and the demands from Azerbaijan for constitutional changes highlight the complexities and challenges in achieving a lasting peace.

Prime Minister Pashinyan's rejection of  Azerbaijan's demand to amend Armenia's constitution underscores the deep-seated issues that still need to be resolved. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has insisted that Armenia remove an indirect reference to Karabakh's independence from its constitution before signing the peace deal. Pashinyan described this demand as an attempt to "torpedo" the peace process, even as he expressed optimism about the treaty's prospects.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have expressed their intentions to sign a peace deal to end the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. In September 2023, Azerbaijan regained control of Karabakh, ending the region's de facto independence that it had maintained since the early 1990s. This led to the exodus of nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population to Armenia. Since then, the two countries have been negotiating a peace treaty and working on demarcating their 1,000 km (625 mile) shared border, which remains closed and heavily militarized.

After months of stalled negotiations, Armenia recently returned four Azerbaijani villages it had held since the early 1990s, clearing a significant hurdle in the peace talks. Despite this progress, the demand for constitutional amendments by Azerbaijan remains a contentious issue.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, Russian peacekeeping troops, who were deployed in Karabakh following the 2020 war, completed their full withdrawal on Wednesday, according to Azerbaijan's defense ministry. Armenia has criticized Russia for failing to intervene and prevent Azerbaijan from retaking Karabakh. Pashinyan also expressed his dissatisfaction with Russia's role, stating that Armenia plans to leave the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

"We will leave. We will decide when to exit ... Don't worry, we won't return," Pashinyan told parliamentarians, as quoted by the Armenpress news agency.

Key Takeaways

• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan is close to being finalized.
• Pashinyan rejected Azerbaijan's demands for Armenia to amend its constitution, calling it an attempt to derail the peace process.
• Violent clashes erupted in Yerevan following Pashinyan's comments, with police using stun grenades to disperse protesters.
• Russian peacekeeping troops completed their withdrawal from Karabakh, adding to the tensions in the region.
• Pashinyan announced Armenia's intention to leave the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation, citing dissatisfaction with Russia's role in the conflict.

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