Azerbaijan initiates arbitration proceedings against Armenia
Azer News | 12 January 2024
Azerbaijan initiates arbitration proceedings against Armenia
by Abbas Ganbay
A procedural session was held at the headquarters of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague within the framework of the interstate arbitration initiated by Azerbaijan against Armenia based on the Energy Charter Treaty, Azernews reports.
Azerbaijan was represented at the session by a delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov.
The MFA noted that on February 27, 2023, Azerbaijan initiated an arbitration process against Armenia for numerous violations of the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty and principles of international law and demanded compensation.
Azerbaijan stated in the arbitration notice that Armenia violated its international obligations by refusing to recognise and respect Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights to energy resources in the Garabagh region, which is an internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan and was illegally occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
During the period of occupation, Armenia illegally deprived Azerbaijan of access to and development of its energy resources and used those resources for profit. Azerbaijan was deprived of the opportunity to utilise the rich water, wind, and solar energy resources in the Garabah region.
Arbitration proceedings were initiated under the Energy Charter Treaty after the issue failed to find a satisfactory solution in several rounds of diplomatic negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The case will be decided by an arbitral tribunal consisting of three judges appointed from both sides. The arbitral tribunal is requested to make a final decision on Armenia’s failure to fulfil its legal obligations under the Energy Charter Treaty and to demand fair compensation under international law.
