THE HAGUE, November 17. /TASS/. Armenia has officially submitted documents confirming its ratification of the Rome Statute and will become a full member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) starting February 1, 2024, the ICC said in a press release.

"Armenia will become the 124th State Party to join the Statute, and the 19th State from the Eastern European group to do so," the press release said.

In addition, the ICC said that Armenian officials indicated in their communication to the ICC that their country "retroactively accepts the ICC’s jurisdiction since 10 May 2021."

Earlier, Moscow slammed Armenia’s joining the Rome Statute as a totally unfriendly step. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said that the ICC, which had previously issued arrest warrants for Russia’s top officials, has nothing to do with justice, as it is a politicized body that carries out orders for prosecuting those who are undesirable to the West. Galuzin also pointed out that those warrants "are absolutely null and void."

In the meantime, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan was not changing its foreign policy track. He argued that the ratification of the Rome Statute was in no way directed against Russia and had been launched before the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Pashinyan’s view, the Rome Statute provides an opportunity to regulate relations with some countries on a bilateral basis.