Armenia Joins Rome Statute, Ignoring Russian Warnings

The Armenian Parliament on October 3 adopted a bill ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by a vote of 60 to 22.  The largely figurehead president, Vahagn Khachaturyan, is expected to sign the bill and finalize the ratification in the coming days and make the country the 124th member state of the Statute.

Armenia's ostensible strategic partner Russia has for months warned against the move. The ICC has an outstanding arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, meaning that…