Russia will not sign an agreement with Armenia regarding the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, has said.

Dzhabarov’s commented on the proposal of the Armenian authorities to sign an interstate agreement that would circumvent the requirements of the Rome Statute.

“I think that there will be no additional agreement between us and Armenia regarding the ICC. We do not recognize this structure at all. Why on earth should we discuss some new agreement on this issue?” he said on Solovyov Live (via TASS).

“And if we want to continue to live in peace, in good neighborliness, to provide each other with assistance and mutual support, I think that our Armenian colleagues will sooner or later have to withdraw their decision to join the Rome Statute.”

In mid-October, President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed into law a decision by the Armenian parliament to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), putting Armenia in the jurisdiction of the Hague court despite warnings from its longtime ally Russia.