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Azerbaijan is attempting to distort the content and goals of the Energy Charter Treaty by trying to link it to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters told Armenpress.

On 19 November 2024, the Government of Azerbaijan filed its Statement of Claim with the Permanent Court of Arbitration against Armenia with allegations of violating its sovereign rights towards energy resources.

The Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters explained to Armenpress that this is not a new lawsuit as erroneously reported by some media outlets but the statement of claim of the February 27, 2023 arbitration filed by Azerbaijan.

“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, and afterwards the procedural timeframes were defined for the parties to submit written arguments and positions,” the office said.

The Armenian side will address the issues of the tribunal’s authority and present its arguments and objections.

“Perhaps this is because of the latest decisions made by the International Court of Justice, which Azerbaijan lost, and 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,” The Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters said.

Commenting on the essence of the case, the Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters said , “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.

”The tribunal is yet to determine whether it has the authority to examine the case.

On 27 February 2023, the Republic of Azerbaijan served on the Republic of Armenia a Notice of Arbitration pursuant to Article 27 of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, 1976.