Armenia ratifies the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in a show of defiance against Russia

Armenia’s parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of joining the International Criminal Court, in a move that further strains the country’s relations with its old ally Russia after the court issued an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin in connection with the events in Ukraine.

Last month, Moscow described Yerevan’s efforts to join the International Criminal Court as an “unfriendly move,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Armenia’s ambassador. Countries that signed and ratified the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court are obligated to arrest Putin, who has been accused of war crimes linked to the deportation of children from Ukraine, if he sets foot on their territory.

Armenian officials said that this step had nothing to do with Russia, and that it came because of Azerbaijani aggression against the country.

Lawmakers voted to ratify the Rome Statute by 60 votes to 22. The President of Armenia must sign the decision, which will enter into force 60 days after the vote.

Armenia’s relations with Russia have been greatly strained in recent years.

In 2020, Moscow brokered an agreement that ended a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It obligated Yerevan to cede to Baku large areas of territory in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan with an Armenian majority population.

Russia then sent about 2,000 peacekeepers to the troubled region, and Armenia accused the troops of failing to prevent recent hostilities by Azerbaijan that led to Baku taking full control of the region.

On the other hand, the Kremlin accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of hastening the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh by recognizing Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the region.

Moscow also blames Yerevan for damaging relations with Russia by embracing the West, including hosting US forces for joint military exercises.

It remains unclear whether Pashinyan might pull Armenia out of the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization, a group that includes several former Soviet countries, and other Russian-led alliances. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base and Russian border guards help guard Armenia’s borders with Turkey.

Ahead of the vote, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would view any move to join the international court as “extremely hostile” toward Russia.