Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported last Friday that the country’s parliament will consider ratifying the Rome Statute. The Rome Statute, the treaty that formed the International Criminal Court (ICC), was signed by Armenia in October 1999, but it has yet to be ratified.
In 2004, Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Rome Statute did not align with the country’s 1995 constitution. However, in December 2022, Armenia began the process to ratify the Rome Statute. In the subsequent month, the Constitutional Court addressed the case and, in March 2023, found the Rome Statute to be in compliance with the newly revised Armenian Constitution.
Armenian Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan stated the need to ratify the Rome Statute due to what he terms as military aggression by neighbour Azerbaijan. Minasyan elaborated on the need for ratification, stating, “the risk of new Azerbaijani military aggression against Armenia remains high,”. He added that “the Azeri crimes, including war crimes committed in Armenia” should fall under the purview of the ICC as a “preventative and restraining measure against Azerbaijan”. It’s important to note that Azerbaijan has neither signed nor ratified the Rome Statute.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in a controversial dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh), an ethnically Armenian enclave within recognized Azerbaijani territory. Despite being recognized by a handful of US states as an independent country, Artsakh is not recognized by the US federal government. Azerbaijan’s representative to the UN has described Armenia as starting a “full-scale war” against the nation in 1992.
In a notable move, were Armenia to ratify the Rome Statute, Russian President Vladimir Putin would be barred from entering the country as Armenian forces would be required to detain him, due to the ICC’s issued arrest warrant against Putin in March.
The ratification of the Rome Statute would certainly have significant implications on an international scale, and its progress should be monitored closely in the future. This article will continue to be updated with any significant developments.