Joining ICC gave Armenia extra negotiating cards, says Speaker

Joining the Rome Statute gave Armenia additional tools in various negotiations, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan has said.

Simonyan told reporters on Tuesday that Armenia would have been in a far worse situation now if it had not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) officially entered into force for Armenia on February 1, 2024.

“If we hadn’t adopted the Rome Statute, we would be in a far worse situation now. And our stance would be a lot weaker in various talks. There are many things we would not be able to implement in the future,” he said.

He denied any Western pressure behind the decision to ratify the Rome Statute. 

He said by ratifying the Rome Statute Armenia “created a situation, stance and possibility to have the cards at various negotiating tables.” The tool is used in all issues, including in the matter of POWs, he said.