Interpretation of some bilateral treaties by the International Court of Justice

Abstract

The text analyzes interpretations of bilateral treaties in three cases decided by the International Court of Justice in the period of 2009 to 2011. As the interpretation of the treaties was performed by applying the same rules laid down in Article 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, it includes the same or similar factors and methods. Specific characteristics of each case, in particular the specific characteristics of treaties, resulted in certain differences. The range of factors used in interpretation of a treaty governing a unique issue and the range of factors used in interpretation of a treaty whose object belongs to the class of objects of an area of international law are not the same.

Keywords

• interpretation
• bilateral treaties