Newspaper: Russian MPs avoid Armenia visit over potential risk of arrest
Media reports indicate that several Russian deputies from the State Duma were scheduled to attend a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between Armenia and Russia in Dilijan on 18 November. However, they ultimately decided not to travel to Armenia due to concerns about the risk of arrest under the Rome Statute, which Armenia ratified in October 2023.
According to Yerevan-based Zhokhovurd newspaper, Russian MPs feared that their visit could result in unpredictable consequences, including potential arrest, as Armenia's ratification of the Rome Statute subjects the country to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Caliber.Az reports.
The newspaper notes, "On November 18, the National Assembly officially announced that the 38th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National Assembly of Armenia and the Federal Assembly of Russia took place in Dilijan, chaired by NA Deputy Hakob Arshakyan and Yuri Vorobyov. While this may initially appear to be yet another routine diplomatic event aimed at restoring ties with Russia, the meeting was marred by controversy."
The Armenian side reportedly did not provide guarantees that the visiting Russian officials would be exempt from the ICC's legal provisions.
As a result, the session, chaired by Armenian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Hakob Arshakyan and Russian Deputy Speaker Yuri Vorobyov, was attended only by representatives from the Russian Federal Assembly and Armenia. The absence of the Russian deputies leads to speculation about the political tensions surrounding the event.
"We tried to get comments on this issue from NA Vice-Speaker Hakob Arshakyan, but we failed to do so," the newspaper writes.
The Armenian National Assembly (NA) passed the Rome Statute on October 3, 2023, ratifying it with 60 votes in favour, while 22 opposition MPs voted against it. It followed ICC's authorisation of the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, saying they were "allegedly responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia".
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier described Armenia's desire to join the Rome Statute as "extremely hostile" to Russia.
Vladimir Vardanyan, head of the parliamentary commission on state and legal issues, defended Armenia's ratification of the Rome Statute, stating that the country's actions were in line with both its own legal framework and its international obligations and that this decision would not harm Armenia's relations with Russia.
By Tamilla Hasanova