ArmInfo. In his speech at the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned Armenia, emphasizing the courage of the latter to join the Rome Statute.
""I would like to mention here the courage of Armenia, which decided to join the Rome Statute, a remarkable gesture considering that the last months have brought their share of tragedies to this country and these courageous people," the French President said.
At its meeting on October 3, the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. After ratification of the document by parliament, it must be signed by the president of the country and will come into force 60 days after the completion of internal state procedures. According to Armenia's representative on international legal matters, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, the ICC mainly considers crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. The Court may exercise its functions and powers, as provided in this Statute, in the territory of any State Party and, by special agreement, in the territory of any other State.
Kirakosyan noted that ratification of this document will make it possible to initiate proceedings at the ICC against Azerbaijan for war crimes committed in Artsakh, where the forced deportation of the population actually took place, as well as for aggression against Armenia. Without this document, Armenia had practically no mechanisms to hold Baku accountable.
On March 17 of this year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the Armenian side notes that the ratification of the document is not directed against Russia. Later, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the Russian side warned their Armenian partners about the extremely negative consequences of possible accession to the Rome Statute for relations with Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry also added that Moscow considers Yerevan's plans to join the Rome Statute of the ICC unacceptable against the backdrop of warrants against the leadership of the Russian Federation.