The Armenian national round of the international law moot competition named after Philip Jessup was held in Yerevan on March 5, 2023. The event provided a platform for students to demonstrate their knowledge of international law as well as their skills in legal analysis.
The event was organized by the International and Comparative Law Center in cooperation with the International Law Students Association. Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Sheila Paylan and Suren Sargsyan acted as judges in the competition.
The Russian-Armenian (Slavic) University team was declared the winner of the Armenian round of the moot game competition and will represent Armenia in the international round in Washington in April. The application of the Yerevan State University team was recognized as the best written application of the Armenian competition.
Throughout the competition, the participants demonstrated deep knowledge in the field of international law, and the judges were impressed by the level of preparation of the students and their skills in presenting legal justifications and arguments.
"The theme of the Jessup contest is particularly relevant for Armenia this year, given the recent war and the resulting legal challenges," - noted Siranush Sahakyan, head of I.C.Law-Armenia, adding that the competition gives students an opportunity to develop their knowledge in the field of international law and their practical application skills.
The moot competition comes at an important time for Armenia, given the recent war with Azerbaijan and ongoing trials at the International Court of Justice, as well as a number of legal challenges that have arisen as a result of the war, including the treatment of POWs, the protection of cultural heritage sites, war crimes and issues regarding the responsibility of state officials for other violations of international law.
The Philip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is one of the largest moot competitions in the world, in which more than 700 universities participate from almost 100 countries of the world.