MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Moscow is disappointed about Yerevan’s intention to sign the Rome Statute, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Armenia knows very well that we are not a party to [the Rome Statute], and Armenia is fully aware of the hardly digestible decision [of the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin] made based on this statute. We know that Yerevan is well aware of this. This is not something we approve of," the Kremlin official said, commenting on Armenia’s actions on the matter.
According to Peskov, this decision by Armenian authorities is "extremely hostile" with regard to Russia.
As for the Armenian side proposing Russia conclude a bilateral agreement to alleviate Moscow’s concerns in the event Armenia ratifies the Rome Statute, Putin’s press secretary noted that he was unfamiliar with the details of this proposal. "No, I cannot [discuss the details]. There was a certain reasoning by the Armenian side in favor of the need to adopt this statute. Yet in this case I am unaware of any details of this proposal to conclude bilateral agreements," he said. Peskov stressed that "if Armenia takes on international obligations, it has to be seen what it considers to be predominant."
However, the Kremlin official noted that Armenia is a sovereign state. "Of course, we hope that such decisions won’t adversely impact our bilateral relations because this is precisely about the statute that we do not recognize, we are not a party to it," he said.
Peskov also added that Putin is not planning any trips to Armenia in the near future. "No," he said, replying to a question on the matter.
The Rome Statute
The Rome Statute is an international treaty that established the International Criminal Court. It is also its Charter. The document was adopted at the diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998 and went into effect on July 1, 2002. It outlines the functions, jurisdiction and structure of the court (which is not part of the UN).
The ICC prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of aggression. The amendment on crimes of aggression was passed in December 2017. The ICC exercises jurisdiction only over crimes committed after July 1, 2002 on the territory of a state party and nationals of state parties on the territory of any other country. If a crime is committed in a state that is not a party to the Statute or its nationals are suspected of grave crimes, the UN Security Council can issue a mandate to launch a criminal investigation.
States that are not parties to the ICC and seek to investigate crimes committed on their soil can issue a special statement to recognize the court’s jurisdiction over a crime. The UN Security Council can suspend the court’s work and any arrest warrants it issues. The ICC has jurisdiction only over individuals. The court can sentence a person to 30 years or even life in prison, but is prohibited from imposing the death penalty.