Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – MEPs expressed that Mongolia’s failure to apprehend Putin will set a dangerous precedent.
Members of the European Parliament, including MEP Urmas Paet, Vice-Chair of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, are calling on EU High Representative Josep Borrell to react to the behaviour of Mongolia, a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), if the government does not apprehend Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who reached there for a visit.
Is Mongolia Jeopardizing International Law by Not Arresting Putin?
MEP Urmas Paet stated Mongolia has a historic chance to become a guarantor of international law. “We simply must fulfil the International Criminal Court’s demand – to arrest the criminal Putin and deliver him to The Hague,” Paet stated. In their request to Borrell, members of the European Parliament criticised the invitation Mongolia extended to Putin. “Mongolia’s refusal to arrest Putin will set a precedent and open the door for other countries to selectively apply ICC arrest warrants,” the members of the Parliament remarked in their appeal.
What Role Does Energy Dependence Play in Mongolia’s Decision?
On the other hand, in a statement to POLITICO, a Mongolian government spokesperson stated that the country finds itself in a place of energy dependence, rendering it challenging to handcuff Putin on the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over war offences in Ukraine. “Apologies everyone, our hands are kinda tied.” That’s the note from Mongolia’s government after it failed to conduct an international arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin as he anchored in the country for an official visit.
Why Is Mongolia Hesitant to Act on the ICC Warrant for Putin?
“Mongolia imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of electricity from our primary neighbourhood, which has previously mourned interruption for technical reasons. This supply is crucial to ensure our existence and that of our people,” the spokesperson stated.
“Mongolia has always carried a policy of neutrality in all its diplomatic relations, as demonstrated in our statements of record to date,” the spokesperson said.
Mongolia, an extensive country of 3.3 million people, sits in an uncomfortable geographical spot landlocked between superpowers Russia and China. It has stepped on a diplomatic tightrope to avoid alienating either of its neighbours with whom it has ample historical and economic ties. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hasn’t altered that calculus for the government in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital. Mongolia, however, is a component of the ICC, which in March of last year gave an international arrest warrant for Putin over war offences related to the deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
