Armenia to Join the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Armenia will join the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The draft law on ratifying the “Conventions for the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes,” adopted in The Hague on July 29, 1899, and October 18, 1907, was presented to the National Assembly’s Legal and Judicial Affairs Committee by Armenia’s Representative on International Legal Issues, Yeghishe Kirakosyan.
Kirakosyan noted that by ratifying the conventions, Armenia will also become a member state of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, thus gaining the opportunity to propose candidates for arbitrators who can serve as judges in cases of disputes between states or in investment arbitration proceedings.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration currently has 124 member states. The committee approved the ratification of the conventions. The draft law on ratification will be discussed in the full session of the National Assembly.
It is important to note that Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of committing crimes against Armenians, including murder, torture, and inhuman treatment. In response, Azerbaijan has filed a counterclaim. The Hague Court, which has been reviewing the counterclaims between Yerevan and Baku for three years, issued preliminary rulings on November 12, rejecting all objections raised by Azerbaijan.
On November 19, 2024, Baku submitted the main document for its lawsuit against Armenia to the Hague Arbitration Court. Baku claimed that “during the 30 years of the illegal occupation of internationally recognized territories, Armenia did not allow Azerbaijan to enter or develop its energy resources in those areas, using those resources for its own benefit.”