BUDAPEST, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian National Assembly has voted in favor of the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Tuesday.
The motion passed with 134 votes in favor, 37 against, and seven abstentions. The government will formally notify the United Nations (UN) secretary-general of the outcome.
Hungary needs to send a note to the UN secretary-general to withdraw from the ICC because the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, designates the UN chief as the depositary for formal notifications of withdrawal.
Speaking in a video message posted on his official Facebook page, Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary had been an active participant in the creation of the ICC, signing the Rome Statute in 1999, and ratifying it in 2001. But he said the move was prompted by recent developments that have raised concerns over the court's impartiality and credibility.
Hungary announced plans to withdraw from the ICC in early April during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the country. Netanyahu faces an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
In late April, Szijjarto presented a bill to the National Assembly proposing Hungary's formal withdrawal from the ICC. Hungary is the first European Union member state to take formal steps toward exiting the ICC. ■
