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Yerevan Says Baku is Distorting Energy Treaty by Linking it to Artsakh Conflict
Azerbaijan is attempting to distort the content and goal of an Energy Charter Treaty by attempting to link it to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters told Armenpress on Wednesday.
The government of Azerbaijan on Tuesday filed a claim with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague against Armenia with allegations of violating its sovereign rights toward energy resources.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday that the court was provided with details of numerous alleged violations of Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights to energy resources by Armenia.
Official Baku noted that “Armenia, during its 30 years of illegal occupation of internationally recognized territories, has not allowed Azerbaijan to access or develop its energy resources in these territories, using these resources for its own benefit.”
Armenia’s international legal affairs office explained that the recent filing was an amendment to a case filed by Azerbaijan in February 2023 and not a new legal action, as claimed by the Azerbaijani press.
“The first procedural session took place, a tribunal was formed and it examined and made a procedural decision on how the proceedings should be implemented. Afterward the procedural timeframes were defined for the parties to submit written arguments and positions,” Armenia’s legal affairs office explained.
“Perhaps this is because of the latest decisions made by the International Court of Justice, which Azerbaijan lost, and it is now trying to present this case under a new light, meaning they are simply reiterating the arbitration proceedings that were launched back in 2023,” Armenia’s legal affairs office added, referring to a ruling last week by the ICJ essentially rejecting Azerbaijan’s objection to a case filed by Armenia against Azerbaijan on Baku’s ongoing racial discrimination of Armenians.
“The Azerbaijani side is attempting to distort the content and goal of that charter, because the goal of the charter is the strengthening of sustainable investments and trade circle in the energy sector. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani side is trying to link this to some extent with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Armenia’s legal affairs office said.