Last Updated on 04/09/2024 by Arun jain
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia amidst the war between Russia and Ukraine that has been going on for almost two and a half years. Mongolia is a member country of the International Criminal Court, which had ordered Putin’s arrest last year. But Mongolia is not only ignoring this order, but pictures of Putin being very hospitable are also coming out. So does the ICC order have no weight, or does Mongolia have some special power?
Why was a warrant issued for Putin’s arrest
Russia is accused of destroying Ukraine on government orders by its army. Not only was its infrastructure destroyed, millions of Ukrainian citizens were forced to leave their homes or take refuge in other countries. There is a long list of war crimes, in which two major allegations have been leveled against Putin. Allegedly, children of Ukrainian origin were forcibly brought to Russia on his orders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had raised this matter in the ICC, after which a warrant was issued against Putin.
What is the ICC and what does it do?
ICC is a court located in Netherlands where international matters are discussed. This court talks about taking action against criminals who commit war crimes, threat to humanity, genocide and riots. But countries themselves do this, then what is the need for ICC! So this court intervenes when the country itself is not taking action against the criminal, or is unable to do so even if it wants to.
Why is it difficult to force Mongolia
A total of 123 countries are its members, of which Mongolia is also one. If the accused comes to a member country, he can be arrested as per the warrant. However, this does not seem to be the case with Mongolia. One clear reason is that Putin is one of the most powerful leaders in the world, and it is not easy to lay hands on him. Second thing – Mongolia itself has invited him. The third big reason is that Mongolia is almost a neutral country.
The best political relations are
This country with a population of a little over 3 million is surrounded on both sides by two very big countries- Russia and China. Hence, it has had good diplomatic relations with both. However, since Russia (then Soviet Union) had helped it in gaining independence from China, it always found itself closer to Moscow.
The most important thing is that this country with a low population is maintaining good relations with distant countries like India, America, Japan and Germany. It maintains political and trade relations with them. The matter does not end here. It has unofficially created its image as a neutral country. International diplomatic meetings started taking place here.
This is how neutral looks like
Every year an event is organized in the capital Ulaanbaatar, where not only the neighboring countries but also the US and European countries come. During this time, even the countries that used to run away from each other sit together and discuss global issues. Let us tell you that Switzerland has been considered the most neutral, where diplomats of all countries feel safe. The UN and all the major international organizations also have their offices here. Apart from this, a few European countries are in this list.
During the Cold War, when the world was divided between Russia and America, even then this country kept itself neutral. In such a situation, it can be assumed that the ICC warrant will have no effect on Mongolia. Especially when it maintained its diplomatic neutrality even during the Cold War.
There were many other occasions when Mongolia made its stand clear despite not being officially neutral. In 1992, by changing its constitution, this country refused to join any country’s military bloc. It is constantly maintaining a balance between its two big neighbours Russia and China. Along with this, it also has good relations with America despite having tensions with Russia.
There is another big reason. Since Russia is not a member of the ICC, it is not that easy to arrest or prosecute them. Another problem in this is that Ukraine, which is claiming itself to be a victim, is also not a member of the court. Yes, it is true that after the fight with Russia in 2014, it gave partial approval to the court. With this, the ICC can keep an eye on the human rights crimes happening in Ukraine.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)