Vice President of the Armenian National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan said that Yerevan had listened to Russia’s “fears” about the possible consequences of ratifying the Rome Statute, based on which the International Criminal Court operates, and issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
Source: Arshakyan in an interview with Armenpress, reports European Pravda
Details: The Vice President of the Armenian Parliament noted that the government decided to join the Rome Statute in December 2022 in response to “Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia’s sovereign territories,” and that is when the Armenian Constitutional Court began to study it.
“I mean, the decision of the Constitutional Court does not find anyone guilty of any issue and does not require steps to arrest anyone. And the government of Armenia in December 2022, of course, could neither guess nor predict the likelihood and content of specific decisions of the International Criminal Court in March,” Arshakyan emphasised.
He also clarified that “the ruling party and team have no intention or desire” to arrest Putin if he visits Armenia.
“As recently as today, we have signed an agreement with another country according to which the Rome Statute will not affect our bilateral relations. Such a settlement can be reached with Russia. But this is just one of the options. There are other options,” said the Vice President of the Armenian Parliament.
“One thing is clear: we have heard the concerns expressed by the Russian Federation, and I think we will be able to ensure that the further process related to the Rome Statute does not harm the strategic relations between Armenia and Russia,” he added.
Background:
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On 24 March, the Constitutional Court of Armenia declared that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court complies with the country’s basic law, thus paving the way for its ratification.
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It is noteworthy that the Armenian Constitutional Court announced its decision a week after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, finding him guilty of illegally deporting thousands of children from Ukraine.
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The issuance of the warrant means that Putin can be arrested if he travels to any member state of the International Criminal Court.
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