Armenia considers joining the ICC as relations with Moscow sour

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 29 Sep 2023 by Alex Teddy
On September 29 Yerevan said it might join the International Criminal Court. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023. States signed up to the ICC are obliged to arrest him if he enters their territory. Russia has not ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC. Neither has Ukraine, the US or dozens of other countries. Moscow has lobbied hard against Armenia's acceding to the ICC, saying it would be an unfriendly act. There are protests outside the Russian Embassy in Armenia. But some Armenians have expressed their condolences to 5 Russian peacekeepers accidentally killed by Azerbaijan on September 21. There are those who blame Prime Minister Pashinyan for not being more pro-Russian and say that this explains why Russia has not been more helpful.  There are worries that without the CSTO, Armenia will be crushed. Baku says Armenia is West Azerbaijan and may try to take the whole country. Moscow says that the US and EU are behind efforts to persuade Yerevan to leave the CSTO. Russia mediated a ceasefire on September 21, but they did not intervene to help Armenia. But Moscow has always said it will not defend Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh since this region is internationally recognized as Azeri. Some Armenians are rancorously disillusioned with Russia. Both countries are in the 6-member Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia used to be the most pro-Russian former Soviet republic besides Belarus. Armenia desperately needed Russia for economic and defense reasons. But Russia does not appear to be able or willing to provide either kind of support.  There are only 3 million people in Armenia. Russia has a similar number of people of Armenian descent but ...

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