The move is set to escalate tensions with the ex-Soviet country’s traditional ally.
YEREVAN: Armenian lawmakers approved a key step towards joining the International Criminal Court today, a move that is set to escalate tensions with the ex-Soviet country’s traditional ally Moscow.
An online broadcast from the Armenian parliamentary session showed a majority of 60 deputies voting in favour of the proposal, with 22 – mainly opposition lawmakers – voting against joining the ICC.“We are doubtful that, from the point of view of bilateral relations, Armenia’s accession to the Rome Statute is correct,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Today, Armenia’s representative on international legal matters, told parliament that the decision was focused on the country’s security concerns. The constitutional court said in March those obstacles had been removed after Armenia’s adoption of a new constitution in 2015.