Conference on Arbitration in South Caucasus Held in Georgia

The Annual International Conference from the cycle of “Arbitration and Mediation in Central and Eastern Europe and Some Asian countries” was held in Batumi, Georgia on September 21-22, 2011.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Republic of Adjara (Georgia) and Polish Society for Arbitration and Mediation (Poland) organized the conference, which was hosted by the Batumi University.  It focused on the role of ADR in resolving international private law disputes involving parties from the South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia).

The conference speakers included Vidadi Mirkamal, Chairman of the International Commercial Arbitration Court of Azerbaijan, Varlam Badzagua, chairman of the Tbilisi Arbitration Court and Valery Zhakenov, Chairman of the Arbitration Court of the Kazakhstan Chamber of Commmerce and Industry.

The event attracted ADR academics and practitioners from Poland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Lithuania and Georgia. The full list of conference speakers and their topics is available here here.

Within the two intensive conference days the speakers and the audience  discussed recent developments in mediation and arbitration in their respective countries, ADR institutions in the Caucasus region, involvement of South Caucasus countries into ICSID cases.

They also addressed the role of national courts in arbitral proceedings, Polish-Georgian commercial arbitration, the use of the internet as a means of advancement of arbitration and mediation in Europe and Asia, ad hoc and institutional arbitration involving parties from the South Caucasus and a settlement in civil mediation.

Additionally, a representative of the Georgian Ministry of Justice made an overview of a new program promoting mediation to resolve juvenile cases.

In addition to ensuring content-rich presentations and debates, the organizers succeeded in arranging a number of cultural activities such as a visit to the recently opened Batumi’s House of Justice and an excursion to the outskirts of Batumi – the Gonio fortress and Sarpi, which was highly appreciated by the conference attendees.

On behalf of the conference participants I would like to thank the organizers for bringing together ADR professionals and creating an atmosphere which fostered discussions of problematic issues related to the development and usage of ADR in the countries of the region

Dilyara Nigmatullina