The Kremlin on Thursday described as “extremely hostile” Armenia’s decision to ratify the Rome Statute, the founding act of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant in the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the spring, reports AFP and Agerpres.
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesmanPhoto: Sergey Guneev / Sputnik / Profimedia
“These decisions are extremely hostile to us,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, as the Armenian Parliament put the ratification of this document on the agenda of its upcoming plenary session next Tuesday, amid the announced dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsah Republic).
“We certainly hope that these decisions will not have a negative impact on our bilateral relations”, he added, stressing that Russia “does not recognize” this status and is not among the countries that have ratified it.
The President of the Commission for Legal Affairs in the Armenian Parliament, Eghişe Kirkassian, announced on Thursday that the vote on the ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC will take place on October 3, during the next parliamentary session.
“We proposed to the Russian Federation that we sign a bilateral agreement to alleviate Russia’s concerns about Armenia’s ratification of the Rome Statute,” he said in a press statement.
This statement comes after the announcement of the dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and at a time when Armenia – which feels betrayed by its Russian ally – accused neighboring Azerbaijan of “ethnic cleansing” in this territory, until now populated by an ethnic majority Armenians.
The Kremlin said on Thursday it saw no reason for the ongoing exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, rejecting Armenia’s de facto “ethnic cleansing” accusations against Azerbaijan.
“We cannot say who is responsible (for the exodus), because there are no direct reasons for such actions. However, the residents express their desire to leave the territory of Karabakh,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Many residents of Nagorno-Karabakh want to cross over to Armenian territory, and Russian peacekeeping forces “continue to help people,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian media.
