Armenia invited Russia to sign an agreement on the Rome Statute

The Armenian authorities invited Russia to sign a bilateral agreement for a legal solution to the Rome status of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Yeghishe Kirakosyan, the republic’s representative on international legal issues, told reporters.

“We proposed to the Russian Federation to conclude a bilateral agreement so that if the Rome Statute is ratified by Armenia, Russia’s fears will be dispelled,” – leads his words to Sputnik Armenia.

At the same time, Kirakosyan emphasized that any talk about the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the event of his visit to the republic is inappropriate, since the leaders of countries have immunity.

September 28, Commission on State and Legal Affairs of the Parliament of Armenia accepted draft ratification of the Rome Statute. If ratified by Parliament, the Rome Statute will enter into force within 60 days.

Armenia signed the Rome Statute in 1998, but has not ratified it. In 2004, the Constitutional Court of the republic recognized the obligations of the treaty as contrary to a number of provisions of the 1995 Constitution. In December 2022, the Armenian government appealed to the Constitutional Court with a request to retroactively recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC from May 2021 – according to the Armenian authorities, this will allow Azerbaijan to be called upon to “responsible for war crimes.”

On March 24, the Armenian Constitutional Court decided that the obligations set out in the Rome Statute are consistent with the country’s fundamental law. In September, the Armenian government sent the Rome Statute to parliament to consider ratification. September 13, Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan reportedthat this process is not connected with relations between Yerevan and Moscow, but with tensions on the border with Azerbaijan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry previously called Yerevan’s plans to join the Rome Statute “absolutely unacceptable” against the backdrop of this organization’s position towards Russia. September 19, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova notedthat Moscow remains committed to cooperation with Yerevan.