On 17 March 2021, a webinar on recent developments and future trends of alternative dispute resolution in CIS countries was held. The webinar was organised by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and supported by renowned arbitration institutions and international law firms.
During the webinar, leading dispute resolution practitioners from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan spoke about the specifics of working with alternative dispute resolution in their jurisdictions.
Oksana Kotel, partner and advocate in Goretsky & Partners, was one of the speakers at this event.
Her presentation was mainly concentrated on the current state and future trends for development of international arbitration in the Republic of Belarus. During her speech, Oksana pointed out the main features of alternative dispute resolution in the Republic of Belarus and the applicable acts of national law in this area.
In addition, Oksana shared with the audience the latest changes in the work of the Chamber of Arbitrators at the Union of Lawyers;the appointment of the new Presidium and the adoption of the new Rules of this arbitration institution.
At the end of her speech, Oksana told her colleagues about the advantages of Minsk as a place of arbitration.
Anar Janmammadov, partner at the Azerbaijani law firm MGB Law Offices, focused his presentation on the use of mediation as a way of dispute resolution in Azerbaijan. Anar spoke about recent legislative changes in this area and pointed out a number of practical aspects, for example, the mandatory mediation session before commencing litigation or arbitration, which must be taken into account when resolving disputes in Azerbaijan.
Aram Orbelyan, senior partner of the Armenian law firm Concern Dialog, presented an overview of the main regulatory legal acts in the field of international arbitration in Armenia. Aram also explained that arbitration in Armenia is currently limited to the activities of specialised arbitration institutions that allow commercial banks to collect receivables, and expressed his hope for the development of this area in his jurisdiction in the future.
Valikhan Shaikenov, partner of the largest law firm in Kazakhstan AEQUITAS, presented a detailed overview of the activities of the Astana International Financial Centre as a dispute resolution body and elaborated on the main advantages and disadvantages of resolving disputes in this institution. In addition, Valikhan raised a number of problematic issues related to the conformity of the activities of the Astana International Financial Centre to the constitutional law of Kazakhstan.
Alexander Grebelsky, Chairman of the Board for International and Investment Disputes of the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, shared his opinion on the reform of the arbitration-related legislation that took place in the Russian Federation and spoke about the main trends in the development of international arbitration during the pandemic on the example of the practice of this institution.
Diana Bayzakova, Director of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre, drew the attention of the audience to the rapid development of alternative dispute resolution in Uzbekistan and pointed out the main reasons for that. In addition, Diana presented the main features of the activities of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre: absence of the administrative fee, encouragement of online proceedings, cooperation with the Supreme Court, etc.
After having given their presentations, the speakers answered all the questions of the listeners and discussed other topical issues related to popularization of alternative dispute resolution in their jurisdictions.
The discussion was moderated by Anna Kozmenko, partner in the Swiss law firm Schellenberg Wittmer and member of the Presidium of the Chamber of Arbitrators, and Nata Ghibradze, senior associate of the international law firm Hogan Lovells.
Goretsky & Partners welcomes the interest of the international arbitration community in the CIS region and will gladly continue to exchange experience with foreign colleagues.
Oksana Kotel’s presentation (in English) is available for viewing at this link.