Armenia's President Vahagn Khachaturyan has defied Russian warnings by signing the Rome Statute, the treaty that established and regulates the International Criminal Court (ICC). Khachaturyan stated that he was signing the treaty to retroactively acknowledge the Republic of Armenia's acceptance of the ICC's jurisdiction, DW reports.
This move occurs within the context of deteriorating relations between Armenia and its long-time ally, Russia. Armenia has expressed its dissatisfaction with what it perceives as Russian inaction in protecting ethnic Armenians in the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, now under Azerbaijani control. Ethnic Armenians had maintained their autonomy in the region for nearly thirty years. However, a swift offensive by Azerbaijan in September led to the surrender of the unrecognized republic in just one day, forcing over half of the population to flee to Armenia. The separatist government also announced that the region would cease to exist by the end of the year.
In 2020, when fighting erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia mediated a deal that ended the war after six weeks. Russian peacekeepers were deployed as part of the agreement to halt the fighting, which was already seen as a loss for the Armenian government. However, when Azerbaijan launched another attack last month, Russian forces did not intervene, further straining relations between Russia and Armenia.
Earlier this month, Armenia's parliament voted to join the ICC, a move that Moscow condemned as an "unfriendly step." Russia even summoned Armenia's ambassador in response. Notably, countries that have ratified the Rome Statute are, in theory, obligated to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges related to child deportations from Ukraine should he enter their territory. However, Moscow neither recognizes the court's jurisdiction nor extradites its citizens, and the indictment of Putin has led to the Kremlin's intensified criticism of the ICC.
Khachaturyan's signing of the Rome Statute took place after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan skipped a summit attended by Russian President Putin in Kyrgyzstan this week. Armenia's decision to join the ICC is primarily aimed at investigating what it refers to as war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during its rapid offensive to reclaim Nagorno-Karabakh.
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