Three arbitration courts have been established in the Vitebsk region

Three arbitration courts have been established in the Vitebsk region, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Oleg Kienko, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Economic Court.

One arbitration court has been established in Novopolotsk, and two more in the regional center. However, these courts have not yet considered a single case, Oleg Kienko stated. In his opinion, this is due to both organizational issues and the need for regulatory framework for their activities. "The regional economic court is interested in sharing cases with arbitration courts. This could be of great assistance," believes Oleg Kienko.

An arbitration court offers greater freedom to citizens and business entities, possessing a number of advantages, primarily the ability for the parties themselves to choose arbitrators, the promptness of decisions made, adherence to the principle of confidentiality in dispute resolution, lower costs of court proceedings, and the preservation of partnership relations between disputing parties. State support is guaranteed for arbitration proceedings. The law provides for measures to secure claims filed with an arbitration court, appeal of arbitration court decisions, and their enforcement. Even the storage of case materials considered by an arbitration court for the resolution of a specific dispute will be carried out by state courts.

To have a dispute considered by an arbitration court, an arbitration agreement is required. This agreement is concluded in writing, either as a separate agreement between the parties to submit all or specific disputes to the relevant arbitration court for resolution, or as an arbitration clause – a separate provision contained within a contract.

Seventeen arbitration courts have been established in Belarus. Throughout their existence, arbitration courts have considered slightly more than 10 cases.