Republican Party Issues Statement

The Executive Body of the Republican Party has issued a statement which we present below.

On March 24 of this year, the Constitutional Court of Armenia made a decision based on the government’s request, stating that the obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court are in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

This decision by the Armenian authorities is a manifestation of extreme political blindness in the current geopolitical situation and is fraught with unpredictable consequences.

It is no secret that the International Criminal Court is a highly politicized entity, and it is no coincidence that even such powerful states as the USA, China, and Russia, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council, have neither signed nor ratified that statute and have no intention of doing so in the future.

It is evident political short-sightedness to think that joining this court could ever be used to defend the interests of Armenia.

At the same time, it should also be noted that the Constitutional Court of Armenia, which is illegally composed as a result of unconstitutional amendments to the Constitution in 2020, has grossly exceeded its authority and made an obviously illegal decision.

According to both the Constitution and the Law on the Constitutional Court, the Constitutional Court was not authorized to accept for examination the case regarding the constitutionality of the obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, especially since the Constitutional Court had already made a negative decision on the same issue back in 2004.

Since the decisions of the Constitutional Court are final and cannot be reviewed, the issue of reconsidering membership in the International Criminal Court could only be possible after making appropriate amendments to the Constitution.