Nikol Pashinyan: draft new Constitution to be published in November, design work on the ‘Trump Route’ under way
- Published
- Place
- National Assembly, Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on 2 November, before the parliamentary committees examining the 2027 budget, that the draft of a new Constitution would be published in November. It will then be put to public discussion for as long as needed. The government will also seek to establish whether the new text guarantees the signing of the peace agreement with Azerbaijan and a comprehensive peace. If it does and the opposition objects, he warned, the majority will lead “public pressure” against it. Pashinyan also said the government was already commissioning, on its own initiative, the design of the railway, road and power lines of the “Trump Route” (TRIPP). This work will be handed over to the future company in charge of the project.
Analysis
Baku makes the signing of the peace agreement, initialled on 8 August 2025, conditional on removing the reference to the Declaration of Independence from the preamble of Armenia’s Constitution. But since the 7 June parliamentary elections, the ruling Civil Contract party no longer holds the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional reform. The opposition remains hostile: the Strong Armenia bloc says Baku will set further conditions, and only an already signed peace agreement would be acceptable.
Possible consequences
According to Pashinyan, the Trump Route will include the Nrnadzor–Karchevan railway, a road and power lines; gas and oil pipelines will be discussed later. He also announced that control of all borders would be gradually handed over to Armenia’s Border Guard Service, which already runs the Zvartnots, Agarak, Margara and Akhurik checkpoints.
