EU expresses regret at Russia's withdrawal from ICC

The European Union (EU) on Thursday expressed its regret at Russia's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), media reported.

"We regret the Russian Federation's decision to withdraw its signature and not to become a party to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC," said the bloc's Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mogherini insisted that the EU remains a staunch supporter of the ICC and is committed to full cooperation on the prevention of serious crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the court.

Russia has decided to withdraw from the ICC due to the court's "incompetence", the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement that the court "did not justify hopes assigned to it", and failed to act as a "truly independent authoritative body of international justice".

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order sending a notification to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Russia refused to participate in the ICC.

The ICC was founded in 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. Russia signed the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding document, in September 2000, but never ratified it.

--IANS

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