YEREVAN, September 24. /TASS/. The planned ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, will help Armenia bolster its external security, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an address to the nation.

"The ratification of the Rome Statute will allow Armenia to use the capabilities of the International Criminal Court to ensure external security. The decision to ratify the Rome Statute was made in December 2022, when it became clear to all of us that the CSTO and the instruments of the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership are not enough to ensure Armenia's external security," he said.

When Pashinyan mentioned the ratification of the statute in earlier statements, he said Armenia wanted to apply to the ICC to bring Azerbaijan to justice, particularly in connection with the September 2022 events and other incidents.

A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS previously that Moscow had warned Yerevan that it would face extremely negative consequences in its relations with Russia if it were to go ahead with the ratification. The Foreign Ministry added that Moscow regarded Yerevan's plans to join the Rome Statute of the ICC unacceptable in the context of warrants the court had issued against the Russian leadership.

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.