On April 1, Hakob Arshakyan, the Vice-president of the National Assembly of Armenia, on the statement of one of the deputies that after the ratification of the Rome Statute, if the President of Russia visits Armenia, he will be arrested, stated that Armenia will be able to ensure that the implementation of the further process related to the Rome Statute does not prejudice the strategic relationship with Russia. 

"This is a misperception because as recently as today, we signed an agreement with another country that the Rome Statute will not affect our bilateral relations. Such a settlement can be with Russia as well. But this is just one of the options. There are other options. One thing is clear: we have heard the concerns expressed by the Russian Federation, and I think we can ensure that the implementation of the further process related to the Rome Statute does not damage the strategic relations between Armenia and Russia," he added.

Arshakyan noted that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Armenia is entirely legal and answers only one question: whether the obligations stipulated by the Rome Statute comply with the Armenian Constitution.

It is important to note that ICC decided to make an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes allegedly committed by Russia in Ukraine.

As previously reported by Caucasus Watch, on March 24, Armenia’s Constitutional Court gave the green light for the Parliament to ratify the Rome Statute. The court ruled that the treaty aligns with the Constitution of Armenia. With this decision, Armenia is now on track to become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).