KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — The London International Arbitration Colloquium organised by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and its collaborating partners yesterday brought together legal and industry experts in discussing and probing the parameters of international arbitration, especially cases involving sovereignty of states like the recent Sulu case involving Malaysia.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said in a statement said that the conference had examined the core issues that emerged from the high-profile multi-billion dollar ‘Sulu case’, in which Malaysia recently secured significant judgements from the Paris Court of Appeal and The Hague Court of Appeal.

She said, the day’s event featured a series of panel discussions on jurisdictional challenges in investment arbitration, the impact of investment claims on states and their sovereignty and territorial integrity and the role of third-party funding in access to justice.

"It is in Malaysia’s interest and longstanding policy to uphold the sanctity of international law and international commercial arbitration. The Sulu case had been discussed during the conference on the role of third-party litigation funders in pursuing claims against sovereign states,” she said.

The colloquium had brought together the collective knowledge and experience of its event partners to deliver an in-depth, academic assessment of the impact of the Sulu case and the future of international arbitration involving foreign investors and sovereign states.

London International Arbitration Colloquium 2023: State Sovereignty and Immunity in Commercial Arbitration was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC), London, yesterday (Sept 25).

Besides the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, the collaborating partners/organisers of the colloquium were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC); SOAS University of London, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC) and International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC). — Bernama