Vikrant Shekhawat : Aug 31, 2024, 06:00 AM
Vladimir Putin: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Mongolia on September 3, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant against him. Mongolia, which is a member of the ICC, may be fraught with legal and political complications regarding this visit. However, the Kremlin has not expressed any concern about the visit and has presented it as a friendly event. This will be Putin's first visit to an ICC member country after the arrest warrant issued against him in March 2023. Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, and the purpose of Putin's visit is to celebrate the anniversary of a historic military victory.Let us tell you that Putin is scheduled to visit Mongolia on September 3. This will be Putin's first visit to an ICC member country after the arrest warrant was issued from the ICC in March 2023. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Putin for suspected war crimes in Ukraine. According to the 'Rome Treaty', the treaty establishing this court, if the person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued sets foot in any ICC member country, then it becomes the responsibility of that country to arrest him. But the court does not have an enforcement mechanism to enforce its orders.A similar warrant was issued against Sudan's then president in 2015In a high-profile case, Sudan's then president Omar al-Bashir was not arrested when he visited South Africa in 2015. South Africa is a member of the ICC. Its move was strongly criticized by human rights activists and the country's main opposition party. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily press conference on Friday that the Kremlin has no "concerns" about the upcoming visit: "We have had wonderful talks with our friends in Mongolia."Peskov has previously firmly stated that Russia does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction. According to a statement issued by the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin will visit Mongolia at the invitation of (Mongolian) President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh "to participate in ceremonial events marking the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over the Japanese militarists."