“We will decide on our next steps based on the content of Yerevan's response,” the ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told reporters.
Moscow has repeatedly issued stern warnings to Yerevan since Armenia’s Constitutional Court gave the green light for the ratification in March one week after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes allegedly committed by Russia in Ukraine. It has said that the recognition of The Hague tribunal’s jurisdiction would have “extremely negative” consequences for Russian-Armenian relations.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government has clearly ignored the warnings. It said on September 1 that it has formally asked the National Assembly to ratify the ICC treaty also known as the Rome Statute.
It is still not clear whether the draft decision submitted by the government to Armenian lawmakers calls for an unconditional ratification or contains exemptions for Russian officials. Independent legal experts believe that the ratification would require the Armenian authorities to arrest Putin and extradite him to the ICC if he visits the South Caucasus country.
A senior Armenian official said in July that Armenian and Russian diplomats are holding “active discussions” on the issue and should find a “legal solution” acceptable to both sides. The clarification sought by Moscow suggests that no such agreement has been reached.
Pashinian’s administration is planning to submit to the ICC’s jurisdiction amid mounting tensions with Moscow. It announced the dispatch of the ratification document to the parliament two days after Zakharova blamed Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor on Pashinian’s recent decision to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. Yerevan rejected the claim, citing a long list of Armenian grievances against Moscow.