Another post-Soviet country, part of the CSTO's Kremlin military bloc, has joined the states that will be required to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Moscow Times reports.
On Friday, March 24, the Constitutional Court of Armenia approved the ratification by the Parliament of the Rome Statute, the main document governing the work of the ICC.
As the Constitutional Court ruled, the obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute do not contradict the Constitution of Armenia. The decision is final and comes into force from its publication.
More than 120 countries, including those in the CIS, are members of the ICC and recognize its jurisdiction - including the duty to detain persons in respect of whom the court has issued arrest warrants.
Among them is South Africa, where Putin was invited to the BRICS summit scheduled for August. A decision on the Russian president's trip to South Africa "has not yet been made," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Previously, he called the ICC warrant "legally void" and stressed that Russia does not recognize the court's decision.
On March 22, the Brazilian authorities warned about the possible arrest of Putin in the event of a visit. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said that the Russian president "undoubtedly faces the consequences" if he plans to visit the country.
