According to the report from the Armenian Parliament’s press office, the 37th session of the inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation between the Armenian and Russian parliaments in Irkutsk, Russia, on July 21. The session was chaired by Yuri Vorobyov, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, and Hakob Arshakyan, the Armenian parliament’s Deputy Chairman.

During the meeting, a deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Yury Vorobyov, raised concerns about the Armenian Constitutional Court’s decision in March. Vorobyov’s remarks indicate Russia’s apprehension about Armenia’s potential ratification of the treaty, given the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian news agencies quoted Yury Vorobyov stating: “While we proceed from the assumption that this step by our Armenian partners does not have an anti-Russian subtext, in practice it is causing significant damage to Russian-Armenian relations.”

Yury Vorobyov urged deputy speaker Hakob Arshakyan and other pro-government members of the Armenian parliament attending the meeting to carefully assess the ramifications of joining the Rome Statute. He called on Armenia’s allies to consider the potential risks to their relations with Russia if they proceed with ratification.

In response to the concerns raised by the Deputy Speaker of Russia’s Federal Assembly, Hakob Arshakyan reassured the Russian side that Armenia’s intention to submit to the ICC jurisdiction is not targeted at Russia. Instead, it is a measure aimed at preventing Azerbaijani attacks on the sovereign territory of Armenia.

Read also: Armenia’s Constitutional Court Approves Rome Statute Ratification