Armenia’s government has approved a draft law that provides for prison sentences of up to 15 years for those responsible for «actions to abandon sovereignty», amid a spike in tensions with Azerbaijan.
The Ministry of Justice has prepared a draft that also provides for fines and prison sentences of up to three years for those responsible for «calls to abandon sovereignty», as reported by the Armenian news agency Armenpress.
The head of the Armenian Justice Ministry, Grigor Minasyan, stressed that «sovereignty is the main characteristic of a state as an entity», before adding that the draft law seeks to protect the country’s sovereignty. The measure has been sent to Parliament for possible approval.
Armenia’s current Criminal Code provides for penalties for those responsible for «overthrowing the constitutional order» or making «calls for violence», although it does not criminalize these so-called acts or calls to «abandon sovereignty», with no further details available for now.
Minasyan also confirmed that the Armenian government has initiated the process to ratify the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC), signed by Yerevan in October 1999, although so far it has not been ratified.
«Judging by Azerbaijan’s belligerent behavior and statements, the risk of a new Azeri military aggression against Armenia is high,» he said, before stressing that it is important to ratify the Rome Statute to open the door to ICC proceedings on «war crimes» by Baku.
In this regard, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that there are «indications» that Azerbaijan is «preparing a new military provocation, also in Nagorno-Karabakh». «This raises questions that require urgent answers about the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh,» he stressed.
«We will work closely with Russia and other international partners to make them explain these issues and not allow further escalation to achieve a comprehensive settlement. I must reiterate Armenia’s determination and readiness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan to complete the delimitation of borders and open regional connections,» he reiterated.
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it is necessary for Armenia and Azerbaijan to give their permission for Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh to have a UN mandate.
«International peacekeeping troops can be involved if both parties to the conflict agree,» he said. «Armenia is one of our closest allies. Azerbaijan is also a valuable partner,» he has said.
In this way, Peskov has outlined that «Russia maintains its mediation efforts, fulfilling, first of all, all the agreements that have been reached trilaterally,» as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Tensions have flared up again in recent weeks after Azeri authorities blocked the Lachin corridor — which connects Armenia with the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic — and suspended gas supplies, according to Armenia.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in several clashes in recent years over the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory with a majority Armenian population that has been the focus of conflict since it decided to secede in 1988 from the Soviet Union-integrated region of Azerbaijan.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
