Armenian president approves parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has approved the parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court in a move that has further strained the country’s ties with its old ally Russia. Last week, Armenia’s parliament voted to join the ICC by ratifying the Rome Statute that created the tribunal. Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute are bound to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was indicted for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine, if he sets foot on their soil. Moscow last month called Yerevan’s decision an “unfriendly step,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Armenia’s ambassador. Armenia later sought to assure Russia that Putin would not be arrested if he entered the country.