Armenia’s parliament has given its approval to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that is likely to escalate tensions with Russia, the country’s traditional ally.
On Tuesday, lawmakers ratified the ICC’s founding Rome Statute, which means that Armenia will now be subject to the court’s jurisdiction in The Hague. This decision has angered Russia, as the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over war crimes in Ukraine and the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
A spokesperson for the Yerevan parliament stated that 60 deputies voted in favor of ratifying the Rome Statute, while 22 voted against it.
If President Putin were to set foot on the territory of an ICC member, they would be expected to make the arrest. This vote highlights the growing divide between Moscow and Yerevan, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its lack of action when Azerbaijan recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that had been under the control of ethnic Armenians for thirty years, most of whom have now fled.
Source from www.aljazeera.com