The Rome Statute Comes into Force for Armenia

Armenia officially joins the International Criminal Court today, as the Rome Statute comes into effect for the country starting February 1. On October 3, the Armenian parliament ratified the Rome Statute with 60 votes from the ruling "Civil Contract" party, and President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed it on October 14, after which the Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the court about the ratification.

About two hours after the National Assembly's vote, the Kremlin announced that the ratification of the Rome Statute was not a positive step from the perspective of bilateral relations.

Yerevan, on the other hand, stated that by joining the Rome Statute, it aims to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes. Yerevan also talks about the possibility of filing a case against Azerbaijan in the International Criminal Court regarding the displacement of Artsakh Armenians.