we have no intention of arresting Putin

Yerevan has no intention or desire to arrest the President of Russia on the warrant of the International Criminal Court in the event of Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia. Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Hakop Arshakyan stated this in an interview with “Armenpress”.

“We heard the concerns expressed by Russia, and I think that we will be able to ensure that the further process related to the Rome Statute does not harm the strategic relations between Armenia and Russia,” Arshakyan said.

The vice-speaker admitted that Yerevan could conclude an agreement with Moscow, according to which the Rome Statute would not affect the relations between the two countries. According to Arshakyan, recently Armenia concluded a similar agreement with another country. The official did not specify her name.

• On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. He is suspected of illegally transporting children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. A similar warrant was issued against the child’s rights representative Maria Lvova-Belova.
• On March 24, the Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled that the Rome Statute does not contradict the Basic Law of the country. If Yerevan ratifies the Rome Statute, then, in accordance with the constitutional document, the authorities will be obliged to arrest Putin in the event of his visit to Armenia.
• The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Yerevan about extremely negative consequences for bilateral relations in the event of Armenia’s accession to the Rome Statute.
• Yerevan emphasized that the process of ratification of the Rome Statute began at the end of last year. Armenia explained that it plans to report to the International Criminal Court against Azerbaijan for possible war crimes committed by Baku in the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian name Artsakh).