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Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) drew criticism from Russia. Photo/Illustration
MOSCOW – The Kremlin reacted to Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court or ICC despite previously being warned by Russia. Armenia’s actions irritated Moscow, which considers Yerevan an ally.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was concerned about Armenia’s decision, which Moscow considered dangerous for their bilateral relations. Russia considers Armenia intrinsically an ally.
“We will have additional questions for Armenia’s incumbent leadership,” Peskov said.
“We have expressed our concerns to the Armenian side before. “We were skeptical from the start that this was the right decision in bilateral relations,” he added as quoted from RT, Wednesday (4/10/2023).
He added that Moscow continues to believe the move was the wrong decision.
Peskov rejected justifications offered by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government for fully joining the agreement.
Moscow considers the ICC to be a politically biased body that abuses its mandate on behalf of Western countries. In March, the Hague-based agency issued arrest warrants for two Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, over alleged kidnappings of Ukrainian children, which Moscow dismissed as implausible.
Armenia signed the Rome Statute in 1999, but suspended its ratification in 2004, as the document was deemed inconsistent with the country’s constitution. The accession process resumed in late 2022 after deadly border clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan.
Yerevan claims that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional defense bloc that includes Russia, failed to defend Armenia during last year’s clashes when the country refused to intervene militarily in favor of de-escalation efforts.
