Thursday, September 28 2023 18:18

ArmInfo. Armenia's decision to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC will have the most  negative consequences for bilateral relations, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RIA Novosti.

"From the beginning, the Armenian partners were informed about our  position, according to which the ratification of the Rome Statute of  the ICC by Armenia is unacceptable in the conditions when this  institute issued an "arrest warrant" to the top leadership of  Russia," the department said.

The Foreign Ministry also commented on Yerevan's initiative to  conclude an agreement to resolve this issue, clarifying that Moscow  proposed a compromise option that could suit both parties.   "Unfortunately, it has not been considered, but instead, a political  decision was made in Armenia in favor of ratifying the Rome Statute,"  the ministry explained.

Armenia's Representative on International Legal Affairs Yeghishe  Kirakosyan, informed that Yerevan proposed to Moscow to sign a  bilateral agreement to legally resolve the situation related to the  ratification of the Rome Statute. According to him, the text of the  document was presented in April. In addition, the thesis of the  Armenian side that joining the ICC will supposedly not affect the  relations of the countries in any way does not correspond to reality,  the diplomatic department noted.

"It's hard to imagine a visit to the republic by the Russian  leadership, especially when MPs from the ruling party are calling for  the arrest of Vladimir Putin at the request of the Hague "Themis."  "Moscow hopes that there will be sober-minded forces in the National  Assembly of Armenia that will not stamp the decision, which is  obviously toxic for Armenian-Russian relations," the Russian Foreign  Ministry concluded.