Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issues demarche to Mongolia due to Putin's visit
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has issued a demarche to Mongolia over the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's refusal to arrest him, according to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"On September 12, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a demarche to the Mongolian side during a meeting with Gankhuurai Battungalag, Director General of the Europe and Africa Department at the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who arrived in Kyiv from Ulaanbaatar at the request of the Ukrainian side," the statement said.
The Ministry noted that Mongolia was informed of Ukraine's deep disappointment with its refusal, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, to execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Putin during his stay in the country.
"Ukraine will not leave such actions without an appropriate response. Mongolia's decision will be taken into account in the future development of bilateral relations and in Ukraine's stance on supporting Mongolia in international formats," the Foreign Ministry emphasized.
At the same time, the Ministry added that the Ukrainian side hopes Mongolia will take effective steps to restore the constructive nature of the traditionally friendly relations between Ukraine and Mongolia, which serve the interests of both countries.
Putin’s visit to Mongolia
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia on September 2. According to the Kremlin's press service, Putin visited Mongolia at the invitation of President Khürelsükh Ukhnaa.
Since Mongolia has ratified the Rome Statute, it is obligated to comply with the decisions of the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for Putin's arrest for the deportation of Ukrainian children. However, the country did not do so.
The Mongolian government explained that the country could not arrest Putin due to its dependence on imports of Russian energy products.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan responded to Mongolia's refusal to arrest the Russian President during his official visit, stating that the Rome Statute has a special procedure for dealing with such cases.
For more on why Putin visited Mongolia and why the country ignored the ICC's warrant, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
