Armenian authorities promise Russia not to extradite Putin to Hague
The 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, which established the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
Source: Arshakyan in an interview with Armenpress, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The Vice President of the Armenian National Assembly noted that the government decided in December 2022 to ratify the Rome Statute, 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 charge and does not require steps to arrest anyone. And in December 2022, the government of Armenia could of course neither guess nor predict the likelihood and content of specific decisions of the International Criminal Court in the following 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 signed an agreement with another country according to which the Rome Statute will not affect our bilateral relations. Such an agreement can be reached with Russia. But this is just one of the options. There are other options," said the Vice President of the Armenian National Assembly.
"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 relating to the Rome Statute does not harm the strategic relations between Armenia and Russia," he added.
Background:
- 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.
- 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.
- The issuance of the warrant means that Putin can be arrested if he travels to any State Party to the International Criminal Court.
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