UN Court to deliver judgment on Azerbaijan’s preliminary objections in Armenia v. Azerbaijan case

On Tuesday 12 November 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Judgment on the preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), the Court says in a press release.

“A public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Nawaf Salam, the President of the Court, will read out the Court’s Judgment.

On 16 September 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings against Azerbaijan concerning alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). On 21 April 2023, Azerbaijan raised preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and, in accordance with Article 79bis, paragraph 3, of the Rules of Court, the proceedings on the merits were suspended pending a decision of the Court on those objections.

By an Order dated 25 April 2023, the President of the Court fixed 21 August 2023 as the time limit within which Armenia might present a written statement of its observations and submissions on the preliminary objections. Armenia submitted its statement within that time-limit.

Public hearings were held from Monday 15 to Friday 19 April 2024. Pursuant to Article 53, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Court, after ascertaining the views of the Parties, the Court decided at the opening of the hearings that the texts of the preliminary objections of Azerbaijan and the written observations of Armenia, as redacted by the Parties for the protection of personal and sensitive information, would be made accessible to the public,” the press release reads.