ALBAWABA - Welcomed by honorary guards and the foreign minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin embarked on a visit to Mongolia, defying the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.
This visit counts as Putin's first visit to an ICC member since the arrest warrant was issued. The international warrant for Putin's arrest on war crimes charges was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) about 18 months ago.
Ahead of his arrival, Ukraine urged Mongolia to bring Putin forward to the court in The Hague, while the European Union voiced fear that Mongolia might not carry out the request. Last week, a spokeswoman for Putin stated that the Kremlin was unconcerned.
Members of the International Criminal Court are legally obligated to hold individuals if an arrest warrant has been issued, however, the court lacks an enforcement mechanism that obligates countries to comply.
Putin and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh strolled up the red-carpeted stairs of the Government Palace, bowed before a monument of Genghis Khan, and entered the government building for their talks.
Putin will attend a ceremony commemorating the 85th anniversary of a Soviet-Mongolian military victory against a Japanese force that had taken control of Manchuria in northeast China.
The ICC accuses Putin of being involved in child abductions in Ukraine, where war has raged for two and a half years. Erdenebalsuren Damdin, one of the court's sitting judges, is also Mongolian.
Ukraine has urged Mongolia to arrest Putin and extradite him to The Hague, with the foreign ministry stating that it "hopes that the Mongolian government will realize the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal".
The European Commission has also urged Mongolia to meet its duties to the International Criminal Court and arrest Putin.
"Mongolia, like all other countries, has the right to develop its international ties according to its own interests. Mongolia is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC since 2002, with the legal obligations that it entails," European Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said.
