Armenia has formally become a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that Russia, its traditional ally, views unfavorably.

“The Rome Statute (creating the ICC) officially entered into force for Armenia on February 1,” the Armenian representative for legal affairs, Yegishe Kirakosyan, announced to AFP, which Russia had already described as “ unfriendly decision.

In March, the international court based in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for organizing or authorizing the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Yerevan is now required to arrest the Russian president if he sets foot on its territory.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in October that Armenia had made “a bad decision” in ratifying the Rome Statute.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan tried to allay the Kremlin's fears, assuring that the decision was not directed against Russia.

“By joining the ICC, Armenia is equipping itself with serious tools to prevent war crimes and crimes against humanity on its territory,” explained Yegishe Kirakosyan.

“Above all, this concerns Azerbaijan,” with which Armenia has fought two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, he added.

The gap is widening with Moscow

But the Armenian decision illustrates the gap that is widening between Moscow and Yerevan, with Armenia criticizing Russia for its apparent inaction in the long-standing conflict between Armenia and its neighbor Azerbaijan.

In September, Azerbaijani forces invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, where Russian peacekeepers were deployed, in a lightning offensive and secured the surrender of Armenian separatist forces who had controlled the region for decades.

Armenia signed the Treaty of Rome in 1999, but did not ratify it, citing contradictions with the country's constitution.

The Constitutional Court said in March that these obstacles were removed after Armenia adopted a new constitution in 2015.

In October, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, welcomed the ratification of the Statute, declaring: "The world is shrinking for the Kremlin autocrat."

For independent analyst Vigen Hakobyan, Armenia undoubtedly hoped by joining the ICC to receive security guarantees from the West. "But apparently it strained its relations with Russia without receiving them" he said. -he confided to AFP.

The ICC, created in 2002, investigates and, where appropriate, judges those accused of the most serious crimes affecting the entire international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of assault.

With AFP

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