Hakob Arshakyan, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, told Armenpress that joining the International Criminal Court in The Hague does not harm relations with Russia.
“We have heard the concerns expressed by the Russian Federation, and I think we can ensure that the further process regarding the Rome Statute does not harm the strategic relations between Armenia and Russia,” Arshakyan said.
He added that he hoped for the possibility of an agreement between the countries that the ratification of the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, would not affect relations with Russia.
The Armenian Constitutional Court has ruled that the Rome Statute is compatible with the country’s constitution in connection with the desire to bring to justice the Azerbaijani soldiers who committed crimes during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, Azerbaijan does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Previously at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your name Armenia’s plans to accede to the Rome Statute of the ICC on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by a court in The Hague for Russian President Vladimir Putin are absolutely unacceptable. This was stated by a source at the State Department. He noted that Moscow had warned Yerevan of the extremely negative consequences of such a decision.