Armenia ratifies International Criminal Court founding treaty, angering Russia

YEREVAN: Armenian lawmakers approved a key step towards joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, a move that was expected to escalate tensions with the ex-Soviet country’s traditional ally Moscow.

Russia said it was “wrong” to ratify the treaty to join The Hague-based court, which in March issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and the illegal deportation of children to Russia.

ICC members are expected to make the arrest if the Russian leader sets foot on their territory.

The vote illustrated a growing chasm between Moscow and Yerevan, which has grown angry with the Kremlin over its perceived inaction over Armenia’s long-standing confrontation with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani forces last month swept through the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh — where Russian peacekeepers are deployed — and secured the surrender of Armenian separatist forces that had controlled the mountainous region for decades.

An online broadcast from the Armenian parliamentary session showed a majority of 60 deputies voting in favour of the proposal, with 22 — mainly opposition lawmakers — voting against joining the ICC.

‘Wrong decision’
The Kremlin immediately criticised Armenia’s decision.

“We are doubtful that, from the point of view of bilateral relations, Armenia’s accession to the Rome Statute is correct,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We still believe that it is the wrong decision,” he added.

Tensions have also been rising between Yerevan and Moscow over the role of Russian peacekeepers in the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which announced its dissolution last week following the lightning military operation by Baku.

The territory lies within the internationally recognised border of Azerbaijan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last week sought to assuage Kremlin fears, saying the initiative was not “directed against” Russia.

“It comes from the interests of the country’s external security, and taking such a decision is our sovereign right,” he said.

Pashinyan has been critical of Moscow’s refusal to intervene during Azerbaijan’s offensive, and previously said his country’s security alliance with Moscow was “ineffective”.

‘Condition for peace’
But the Kremlin reiterated Tuesday that Armenia has no alternative to a Moscow-led security alliance known as the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

“The Armenian side has nothing better than these mechanisms,” Peskov said.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was on a visit to Yerevan, praised the parliament’s vote.

“The struggle against impunity for crimes is a condition for peace and stability,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Armenia’s representative on international legal matters told parliament that the decision was focused on the country’s security concerns.