ASTANA, April 5. /TASS/. Kazakhstan is not a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and thus the body has no jurisdiction over the country, Kazakh Foreign Ministry Spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov told TASS on Wednesday.
"We have neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute. The statute does not apply to Kazakhstan and we have no obligations under it," he pointed out.
On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging that they were responsible for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. When commenting on the decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Russia did not recognize the International Criminal Court. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the decisions of the ICC had no significance for Russia whatsoever, while any potential arrest warrants would be legally void.
The International Criminal Court, established under the 1998 Rome Statute, brings together 123 nations. Those countries that are not signatories to the Rome Statute include Russia (which has signed but not ratified the document), the United States (signed the Statute but later revoked its signature) and China (has not signed the Statute). In November 2016, President Putin signed an order officially stating that Russia did not plan to become an ICC member. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the court has failed to establish itself as a genuinely independent, credible body of international jurisprudence.