«This is an obvious scandalous episode»: Zatuline on recognition of the Rome Statute

The behavior of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh indicates his desire to sever ties with Russia and pursue closer relations with the West. However, Moscow should not impose itself on this region, stated the head of the State Duma's CIS Affairs Committee in an interview with NSN.

On March 24, Armenia's Constitutional Court recognized the Rome Statute as compliant with the country's constitution. The International Criminal Court, established under this statute, has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Armenian authorities are following a chosen path towards rapprochement with the West and distancing from Russia, although everything regarding the security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is tied to Moscow. The fact is that the current Armenian government has surrendered this territory. The Prime Minister himself does not consider the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh as his own. On the contrary, he sees this part of the population as suspicious, which at one time gave entrance tickets to Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, i.e., his political rivals,” Zatuline said.

The MP called the recognition of the Rome Statute a scandalous episode and urged to await the parliament's decision regarding ratification.

“This is an obvious scandalous episode. Right now, Armenia's position is actively echoed in all corners of Ukrainian channels. Allies certainly do not behave like this. And to confirm the current state of relations, this decision alone is enough. The Armenian Constitutional Court was 'decapitated' by Pashinyan, and its previous leadership was dismissed and intimidated. Therefore, any attempt to present it as the decision of an independent body is simply laughable. Now the Rome Statute must be ratified or not by the parliament, and after such a decision, there will be no doubt at all. At the same time, the authorities pretend that this is necessary to combat Azerbaijan, but in reality, as we can see, it is done to demonstrate loyalty to new friends like Charles Michel and other interlocutors of Prime Minister Pashinyan,” Zatuline added.

At the same time, he expressed the opinion that in the current situation, Russia should not concede its influence in the region. According to the State Duma deputy, this issue requires greater attention from the Russian authorities.