The Armenians have announced that they will arrest Vladimir Putin if he steps on their soil.
“Armenians stabbed Russia in the back. But such behavior will not go unpunished”, is the Kremlin’s reaction to the announcements coming from Armenia that they will arrest President Vladimir Putin if he appears in their country. From the Russian perspective, this is a brazen provocation, since these the two countries are formally allies, which in reality means that until now the Armenians were subject to Russia, as were most of the successor states of the Soviet Union.
In accordance with the constitution
It was last week The Constitutional Court of Armenia declared that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) is compatible with the country’s constitution, paving the way for its ratification. Armenian constitutional judges announced the decision a week after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, finding him guilty of illegally deporting thousands of children from Ukraine. The issuance of a warrant means that Putin could be arrested if he travels to any member state of the International Criminal Court.
Armenia’s ruling party has since warned that if Putin comes, the country will have no choice but to arrest him. “If Putin comes to Armenia, he should be arrested. It is better for him to stay in his own country.” announced Gagik Melkonyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly, in an interview with the “Moscow Times” portal. “If we ratify the agreement with the ICC, then we have to fulfill our obligations. Let Russia solve its problems with Ukraine,” explained Melkonjan, reports Jutarnji.hr.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, particularly his alleged involvement in the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. But the ICC has no authority to enforce its orders, and since Russia does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, much of its enforcement will depend on the willingness of other countries to intervene if Putin finds himself on their territory. Among the countries that have announced that they will arrest the Russian president if he steps on their soil are Germany, Ireland, Austria and Croatia, Business Insider reminds.
Moscow and Yeverevan
The decision of the ruling party in Armenia is in sharp contrast to other allies of the Kremlin who do not deviate from their loyalty to Moscow. Hungary, which maintains close ties with Russia, has announced that it will not apply an arrest warrant to the ICC, as China has done. On the other hand, although Armenia is technically a Russian ally – as part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – Yerevan’s decision is just the latest indication that the country is ready to take matters into its own hands and hold Putin accountable.
Moscow’s ties with Yerevan have deteriorated in recent months. The Armenians claim that the responsibility lies with Russia, which did not help maintain a ceasefire between them and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region – a region of Azerbaijan inhabited by Armenians. Azeris defeated the Armenian army, which expected help from the Russians, but it did not happen.
Russian peacekeepers, according to accusations from Armenia, did not intervene to end the partial blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani forces. Russia has a mutual defense treaty with Armenia and has traditionally been a powerful player in the South Caucasus region, but in recent years has faced increasing competition for influence from the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
The Kremlin’s response
It goes without saying that there was no need to wait for the Kremlin’s response. RIA, Russia’s state news agency, quoted a Russian foreign ministry source as saying yes Moscow considers the Armenian plans “unacceptable”.
Russia has warned Yerevan of “extremely negative consequences” for bilateral relations if it goes ahead with the plan, which would have to be ratified by the Armenian parliament after being approved by the constitutional court. “Moscow considers official Yerevan’s plans to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court absolutely unacceptable given the recent illegal and legally invalid orders of the ICC against the Russian leadership“, said a source from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by RIA.
(WORLD)