Armenia will fully ratify the Rome Statute, the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court (ICC), which will oblige Yerevan to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine if he visits the Caucasian country. Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday, quoted by EFE and Agerpres.

“The government has submitted the Rome Statute to the National Assembly (Parliament) and, according to my position, the document will be fully ratified,” the head of the Armenian government said during a speech before the legislature in Yerevan, Armenpress reports. news agency.

According to Pashinyan, this decision “has nothing to do with relations between Armenia and Russia, but with issues of Armenia’s security.”

This decision caused displeasure in Moscow, which demanded an explanation from Armenia regarding the possible ratification of the Statute.

The Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled on March 24 that the obligations that the republic will have to undertake in the event of accession to the Rome Statute must be in accordance with the country’s legislation, which will allow Yerevan to ratify it.

This would allow Armenia to refer Azerbaijan to the International Criminal Court, with which it has been in conflict for more than three decades over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory with a majority Armenian population, and border demarcation issues.

Yerevan’s decision will further strain its relations with Moscow

However, it would also oblige it to comply with international court rulings, such as the March 17 ICC ruling that issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.

Yerevan’s possible ratification of the Rome Statute will further worsen its relations with Moscow, which have been damaged by recent statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Russia is “going it alone” from the South Caucasus.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador last week, to which Moscow expressed a strong protest, which was accompanied by a series of statements by high-ranking Armenian officials and the arrest of pro-Russian journalists in Armenia.

Pro-Russian blogger Mikael Badalyan and Sputnik Armenia columnist Ashot Gevorkyan were detained in the Armenian city of Goris in the south of the country, RIA Novosti reported last Thursday.