Naypyidaw: Myanmar considers the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin as an attempt to discredit him, military government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told Sputnik, adding that the court’s decision will not affect the development of Russia-Myanmar relations in any way
“Our friendly country Russia is not a member of the ICC. Russia withdrew from ICC’s jurisdiction in 2016. Decisions of the ICC are not accepted in Russia. I would like to say that the laws adopted by the ICC do not affect Russia,” the general said, adding that “this fact alone is enough to ignore the ICC’s decision.”
Ukraine is also not an ICC member, therefore the ICC’s pre-trial chamber “fabricated the evidence” to issue the arrest warrant, and it is not their own opinion, Zaw noted.
He said that Western countries, as well as Western media, are taking advantage of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to “attack the head of a country friendly to Myanmar from all sides.”
“This is just an attempt to discredit the Russian president. We always say that Russia, our friendly country, defends its sovereignty and interests,” the general said.
In addition, Zaw said that relations between Myanmar and Russia have 75-year history of friendship, and expressed support for Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
“Like Russia, Myanmar is not a member of the ICC. I want to say that the ICC statement does not affect the relations between the two countries, Myanmar and Russia,” the general emphasized.
Last week, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, citing “unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
