Hague Court's Ruling in Armenia v. Azerbaijan Case Revealed

The International Court of Justice, presided over by Nawaf Salam, has rejected two preliminary objections filed by Azerbaijan in the case of Armenia v. Azerbaijan. The court found that Armenia has made genuine efforts to engage in discussions with Azerbaijan in order to resolve the dispute, and that the negotiations became fruitless when Armenia submitted its application to the court.

Another of Azerbaijan's objections pertained to the court's jurisdiction. The court ruled that acts of murder, torture, inhuman treatment, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances that have occurred based on the national or ethnic origin of the victims can be considered violations of obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, even during armed conflict.

It is worth noting that on September 16, 2021, the Republic of Armenia initiated proceedings against Azerbaijan for violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. On April 21, 2023, Azerbaijan submitted its preliminary objections regarding the court's jurisdiction, which led to a suspension of the substantive examination of the case until a ruling on those preliminary objections was issued. On August 21, 2023, within the deadline set by the court, Armenia submitted its written observations and position on Azerbaijan's preliminary objections. Public hearings regarding the preliminary objections related to the court's jurisdiction were held from April 15 to 19, 2024.