The Armenian parliament ratified the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), also known as the Rome Statute, three years ago despite stern Russian warnings. Armenia’s Constitutional Court gave the green light for the ratification in March 2023 one week after the ICC issued the arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes allegedly committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Bringing Azerbaijan to justice for its war crimes against Armenians and preventing more Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia was the main official rationale for the ratification initiated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government. Armenian opposition politicians argued that Azerbaijan is not a party to the Rome Statute and would therefore ignore any pro-Armenian ruling by the ICC. They said the real purpose of joining the court is to drive another wedge between Russia and Armenia and score points in the West.
Yerevan has not filed any lawsuits against Baku in the ICC since then. It essentially ruled out such a course of action last year with the initialing of an Azerbaijani-Azerbaijani peace treaty that commits the two South Caucasus countries to withdrawing their international lawsuits filed against each other.
“As far as I know, the Armenian authorities have not yet appealed to the court or initiated any investigation,” a spokesman for the Russian Security Council said in comments to the press cited by Russian news agencies.
The unnamed official insisted that Yerevan decided to submit to the ICC’s jurisdiction at the behest of the European Union. The Hague tribunal has repeatedly demonstrated its “readiness to carry out the political orders of Western sponsors,” claimed the official.
The Security Council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, listed Armenia’s accession to the ICC among “unfriendly” steps taken by Pashinian’s administration during a meeting at the Kremlin in May. Russian authorities banned imports of Armenian agricultural products and beverages in the following weeks. They also warned of more serious economic sanctions against Armenia.
Putin and Pashinian are expected to meet in Moscow later this year for further talks on the future of Russian-Armenian relations. Yerevan is facing growing Russian pressure to quickly choose between seeking EU membership and remaining part of a Russian-led economic bloc.