MOSCOW

Armenia needs a new constitution as the current one no longer reflects the real situation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday.

In an address on the occasion of the Armenia's Constitution Day, Pashinyan said "by a well-known confluence of circumstances," the current basic law of Armenia no longer reflects its citizens' ideas "about the state," hinting at the provision calling the Karabakh region Armenia's territory.

In a separate statement, Pashinyan said Armenia, a former Soviet republic, is ready to elevate its relations with the US "to the level of strategic partnership in various areas."

Yerevan attaches importance to Washington's role in establishing peace in the South Caucasus, Pashinyan said in the message to President Joe Biden on US Independence Day, known as the Fourth of July.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, and last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation" that led to the surrender of separatist forces in the region.