Chairperson of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Elvira Azimova, held a meeting with Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Judges of the Constitutional Court Aizhan Zhatkanbayeva and Sergey Skryabin also attended the meeting.
Elvira Azimova briefed the international partner on the constitutional reforms in Kazakhstan, the key provisions of the new Constitution, which entered into force on 1 July 2026, as well as the activities of the Constitutional Court and the outcomes of constitutional review.
Particular attention was paid to the constitutional foundations of international legal cooperation. Specifically, Article 5(1) of the Constitution recognizes the international treaty obligations of the Republic of Kazakhstan as part of the law in force, Article 10 enshrines respect for the principles and norms of international law, while Article 77(1) establishes the constitutional foundations for the administration of justice, including the implementation of international treaties.
The Chairperson of the Constitutional Court emphasized that, when examining petitions, the Court considers not only the provisions of national legislation but also the relevant international treaties and takes international legal standards into account when formulating its legal positions.
In the context of the practical application of international treaties, the participants highlighted Kazakhstan's positive experience in implementing the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. The apostille mechanism significantly simplifies the cross-border circulation of official documents by replacing consular legalisation with a single certificate authenticating such documents. An important milestone in this cooperation was the 13th International Forum on the Electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP), held in Astana in 2024, which brought together representatives from more than 70 countries.
Kazakhstan is a Contracting Party to several HCCH conventions governing various aspects of international civil and family law cooperation. Among the prospective areas for further engagement, the meeting addressed the HCCH's proposal for Kazakhstan to accede to the 2005 Convention on Choice of Court Agreements and the 2019 Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters. As noted by the Secretary General, the application of these conventions would contribute to greater legal certainty and enhance the effectiveness of justice in cross-border business matters.
The parties also devoted particular attention to cooperation in the protection of children's rights, including Kazakhstan's implementation of the conventions concerning the civil aspects of international child abduction, intercountry adoption, and the international recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance. They discussed the benefits of exchanging practical experience, analytical studies and review materials to enhance the professional expertise of specialists involved in applying these international legal mechanisms.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in further developing cooperation.
Follow memleket.kz on social media
Important news from Kazakhstan and useful articles on the platform you prefer.
