The Kremlin expects Yerevan to provide certain assurances regarding the possible arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, Russia's Interfax news agency reported today.
"Of course, it is very important to receive certain assurances from our Armenian partners. This issue is to be resolved within the framework of bilateral dialog, which we intend to do," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov's words came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he was not the one to decide on the possible arrest of the Russian president, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, if he visited Armenia.
In an interview with the Prime Minister of Armenia, the journalist of British The Telegraph asked him whether Armenia, as a member of the International Criminal Court, will arrest Vladimir Putin if he arrives in Yerevan. Nikol Pashinyan noted that this issue is regulated by legal procedures. "There are various opinions and legal analyzes on that topic, and, by the way, there are various opinions and legal analyzes on that topic, and in particular, the lawyers who say that the current heads of state have immunity, insurmountable immunity, due to their status are not just a few. I mean, it's a legal issue, not a political issue that I have to discuss and respond to."
Such an obligation is stipulated by membership in the ICC, which Armenia joined on February 1 this year.
According to Pashinyan, the decision to join the Rome Statute "serves to enhance Armenia's security. As for the legal subtleties. I can't make a legal analysis at the moment, because this is the work of lawyers," he said.
Russia called the Armenian parliament's ratification of the Rome Statute for joining the ICC an "unfriendly" move.
