The Swiss Academy for International Law founded on the initiative of the Association of Russian Lawyers and its partner higher education establishments is to train specialists to defend the rights of Russian citizens at the international level, according to Stanislav Aleksandrov, the Chief of Staff of the lawyers' association.

Partnership

The Academy in Switzerland was founded in partnership with the Moscow State Law University, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration, and the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, Mr Aleksandrov said at a press-conference on Tuesday. The Chief of Staff of the lawyers' association believes the international law experts fluent in foreign languages will be well equipped to defend the rights of Russian citizens and Russia’s national interests in the spheres of international trade law, labor law, intellectual property law and other areas.

“Unfair treatment”

Specialists are to be trained not only in Russia, but in large international centers, such as Geneva, Mr Aleksandrov explained. A new area of training for students at the Swiss Academy is to be the sports law. Mr  Aleksandrov said the importance of sports law was demonstrated by legally “unfair treatment” of Russian athletes on the part of international sports arbitration bodies being evident in the recent years.