The Research School of International and Private Law

About the Research School Areas of activity of the Research School Members of the Research School Current projects Completed projects

About the Research School

The Research School for Public and Private International Law at Maqsut Narikbayev University serves as an intellectual hub within the Law School. Established to advance rigorous scholarly inquiry and practice-oriented engagement in international law, the School focuses on developing structured and critical analysis of contemporary challenges, with particular attention to issues of interpretation and application in Kazakhstan and the broader Central Asian context.

The Research School operates at the intersection of academic research and professional practice. It provides a platform where scholars and practitioners collaborate on research projects, examine applied legal problems, and develop practical approaches to their resolution. While it does not administer formal academic programs, its leadership and affiliated researchers are actively engaged in teaching, organizing seminars, and supervising research within the Law School, ensuring close integration with the University’s academic framework.

Through its research activities, scholarly output, and international engagement, the Research School contributes to the development of international legal expertise and academic collaboration. By hosting visiting researchers and fostering joint projects, it sustains a dynamic intellectual environment and reinforces the University’s role as a center for legal scholarship at the national, regional, and global levels.

Areas of activity of the Research School

The Research School’s areas of activity encompass advanced research in public and private international law, with a focus on doctrinal analysis, comparative legal methods, and contemporary legal challenges. Within this framework, the School develops and implements research projects that bridge theory and practice, contributing to scholarly publications, expert policy discussions, and legal reform initiatives.

The Research School places particular emphasis on the development of practice-oriented competencies. It provides structured training and academic coaching for students preparing to participate in leading international advocacy competitions, including the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Pax Moot Court Competition, Jean-Pictet Competition, and the AIFC Moot Court. Training is centered on legal writing, oral advocacy, and strategic case analysis, equipping participants with skills applicable in both academic and professional settings.

The School also cultivates an applied environment for the development of analytical and advocacy skills through specialized formats of engagement. The Lex Fantastica debate club functions as a structured platform for training in legal reasoning, argument construction, and public defense of positions. In parallel, the School conducts internal research seminars and working sessions focused on case analysis, methodological development, and the formulation of practical legal solutions, ensuring the consistent advancement of participants’ professional capabilities in international law.

Members of the Research School

He brings extensive academic and administrative experience, including the design and leadership of academic programs, research units, and participation in the drafting and expert review of Kazakhstan’s international legal instruments.

He is a co-founder of key research streams within the Research School and has played a central role in shaping international law curricula across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. He directs the joint WIPO Master’s Program in Intellectual Property and Business Law, serves on the International Law Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and is a member of the editorial board of the Central Asian Yearbook of International Law (Brill Academic Publishers).

He regularly acts as an expert and consultant for international organizations, including the OSCE and UNODC, contributing to the assessment of Kazakhstan’s compliance with international obligations and the development of legal policy. He is actively engaged in the global academic community, serving as a judge at national, regional, and international rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and other leading academic forums.

His scholarship covers the law of treaties, international human rights law, competition law, and intellectual property law, contributing to the development of contemporary international legal doctrine both in Kazakhstan and internationally.

He has developed a well-established academic profile grounded in extensive teaching and research experience at leading law schools in Kazakhstan.

He is a co-founder of key research streams in private international law, shaping both the conceptual and applied agenda of the Research School. His scholarship has had a significant impact on the development of private international law doctrine in Kazakhstan, and he is widely regarded as a leading academic expert in this field in Central Asia.

He serves as Head of the Central Asia Regional Office (Antenna) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, facilitating the region’s institutional integration into the HCCH framework and supporting the implementation of its legal instruments. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Law Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is included in the roster of arbitrators under the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

He regularly acts as an expert and consultant on projects involving international organizations, including the OSCE, and participates in academic and educational initiatives abroad. He is the author of monographs, legislative commentaries, and scholarly articles on private international law and comparative law, contributing to the contemporary academic and practical foundations of the field in Kazakhstan.

He maintains an interdisciplinary academic and professional profile, combining research with advisory work for government bodies, foreign investors, and international organizations. He is a member of the International Law Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and serves as an external expert in international initiatives, including projects led by The Pew Charitable Trusts related to the regulation of mineral resource activities in the Area.

He has teaching experience across multiple foreign and domestic universities, covering a broad range of subjects—from legal theory to public international law and international relations—supporting the integration of legal and political-economic perspectives in academic instruction.

He is the author of scholarly publications in leading international journals on international investment law and the law of the sea, including issues related to deep seabed mining and investment protection mechanisms. He regularly presents at international conferences and academic forums, contributing to the development of international economic law doctrine both in Kazakhstan and globally.

He maintains a hybrid professional profile that integrates academic work with legal consulting and participation in state-level institutional reforms.

His practice centers on complex commercial disputes, cross-border projects, and investment transactions, including matters related to subsoil use, intellectual property, and business structuring. He has experience representing government authorities and multinational corporations, as well as advising on the international expansion of Kazakhstani companies.

He has held positions as Advisor to the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Deputy Director of the Strategic Planning Department, where he oversaw legal sector reforms and the development of project management frameworks. In these roles, he contributed to strategic initiatives and analytical outputs informing decision-making at the highest levels of government.

In academia, he teaches public international law and international investment law, alongside practice-oriented courses in legal consulting and advocacy. He regularly delivers lectures for professional audiences and is the author of scholarly and analytical publications contributing to the evolution of legal practice and policy in Kazakhstan.

He specializes in international law, legislative drafting, and legal analytics, combining academic work with direct involvement in public policy development.

He has practical experience within the Office of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other state bodies, where he contributed to legislative review and the support of lawmaking processes. His work includes participation in the drafting and analysis of legislation in education, science, culture, and international cooperation, including instruments related to the ratification of international treaties.

He initiated Kazakhstan’s engagement with the International Law Association and contributed to the establishment of its institutional presence. He regularly represents Kazakhstan in international academic forums, including participation in sessions of the Hague Academy of International Law, facilitating the integration of the national legal school into the global academic community.

He is actively involved in the development of the expert and research environment through participation in working groups on key areas of legal reform. In academia, he teaches international law, public administration, and constitutional law, integrating doctrinal analysis with practice-oriented instruction and contributing to the advancement of legal education and governance in Kazakhstan.

His academic profile is oriented toward integrating theoretical research with practical aspects of legal application and the development of legal systems.

His work focuses on public international law, the law of treaties, and related fields, with active involvement in research and educational initiatives aimed at advancing contemporary international legal doctrine. He contributes to the design of research agendas and academic programs, ensuring the integration of scholarly output into the educational process.

He is actively engaged in the University’s research and expert activities, including the preparation of analytical materials and participation in academic projects related to the development of international law in Kazakhstan. As a member of professional and academic communities, he contributes to strengthening scholarly networks and fostering international cooperation.

In teaching, he delivers courses in international law with an emphasis on developing students’ skills in legal analysis, argumentation, and academic writing. His work is directed at training a new generation of professionals capable of operating within an increasingly complex international legal environment.

He is developing an academic profile that combines scholarly work with hands-on experience in advising on investment and corporate matters.

His research focuses on jurisdiction, applicable law, and liability mechanisms in cross-border insolvency. He is actively engaged in research and teaching in private international law, including the preparation of academic publications and analytical materials.

He has practical experience supporting investment activities, including investor protection, analysis of bilateral investment treaties, drafting procedural documents, and conducting legal research in both domestic and foreign law. His work includes the preparation of legal opinions, memoranda, and analytical reports on corporate and cross-border issues.

In academia, he contributes to teaching courses in private international law and international civil procedure, while participating in research activities within the Research School. He is also involved in the development of the academic environment through participation in conferences and research projects aimed at advancing contemporary legal doctrine.

Her academic profile focuses on in-depth research into the interpretation of international treaties and their application within the legal system of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Her research centers on treaty-making practice and treaty interpretation, including issues related to the accessibility and systematization of treaty sources. She is actively involved in developing research initiatives, including projects aimed at building databases of international treaties and refining doctrinal approaches to their application.

She is the author and co-author of scholarly publications on the law of treaties, including articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributions to edited volumes. She participates in academic research and publication projects, including those associated with leading international publishers, contributing to the development of regional international law doctrine.

In her academic role, she contributes to teaching courses in international law, integrating research with instruction. She is actively engaged in the development of the research environment through participation in conferences, preparation of scholarly presentations, and involvement in Research School initiatives.

He is developing an academic-practical profile that combines research with involvement in complex international commercial disputes.

His professional work includes participation in matters related to international commercial arbitration and disputes arising under production sharing agreements, covering issues such as corruption, tax and environmental claims, and the analysis of complex factual and expert evidence, including in the context of sanctions regulation. He has experience in preparing legal positions, analytical memoranda, and coordinating with international legal counsel.

In academia, he contributes to teaching and the development of course materials in international law, while also engaging in research activities within the Research School. He is actively involved in training students for international moot court competitions, including drafting legal arguments, preparing written submissions, and conducting oral rounds, particularly in the context of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

Ongoing projects

Von Bar Ch., Foundations of Property Law. Translation to Kazakh by N. Yeshniyazov (Maqsut Narikbayev University Press, 2026)

The current flagship project centers on Foundations of Property Law by Christian von Bar, a leading treatise on European property law from both private and comparative law perspectives. The work conceptualizes property law as a system of rights in rem governing relationships between persons and objects, and develops a structured account of the concept of “property law” and their legal classification. It is grounded in a broad comparative methodology spanning both civil law and common law traditions.

Within the Research School, the treatise is being translated into Kazakh under the supervision of Nurzhan Yeshniyazov. The project addresses the lack of foundational private law materials in the Kazakh language and is intended to build a robust academic foundation. The translation is expected to enhance legal education and practice by providing direct access to contemporary European doctrinal approaches to property law.

Abylaiuly A. ed, Treaty Law in Central Asia (Brill, 2026)

The current flagship project centers on Treaty Law in Central Asia, edited by Abay Abylaiuly, a scholarly volume aimed at conceptualizing treaty practice across Central Asian states. The work examines the internal logic of regional treaty policy, including the conclusion, interpretation, and implementation of international agreements. It adopts a comparative legal approach and treats Central Asia as a distinct legal space with its own institutional and doctrinal characteristics.

Within the Research School, the project is being carried out as a collective research initiative involving regional and international experts. Its objective is to address the lack of comprehensive academic literature on treaty law in Central Asia and to establish a sustainable research platform in this field. The volume is expected to advance theoretical engagement with treaty law in the region while also serving as a practical reference for public authorities and professionals working with international agreements.

Completed projects

Abylaiuly A., Medetbekova D., Abdyrakhmanova K., Refugee Status Determination and Statelessness in Kazakhstan: Analysis of Court Practice (MIND, Maqsut Narikbayev University, 2026)

The completed project centers on the research report Refugee Status Determination and Statelessness in Kazakhstan: Analysis of Court Practice, based on a review of court decisions in Kazakhstan from 2014 to 2025. The study identifies patterns in adjudication concerning refugee status and statelessness. It finds a consistent trend: courts tend to uphold refusals in refugee cases, while outcomes in statelessness cases are more varied and often more favorable to applicants.

The findings reveal a structural gap between the formal adoption of international standards and their practical implementation at the domestic level. The project carries both academic and policy relevance, providing an evidence-based foundation for improving legal frameworks on refugee protection and statelessness. The final results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed refugee law journal by Oxford University Press.

Abylaiuly A., Babajanyan E., Abenova A., Kokzhalov R., IEL Intellectual Property Law Kazakhstan (Wolters Kluwer, 2026)

The completed project, IEL Intellectual Property Law: Kazakhstan, authored by A. Abylaiuly, E. Babajanyan, А. Abenova, and R. Kokzhalov, provides a comprehensive account of Kazakhstan’s intellectual property law in both theory and practice. The volume forms part of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws, a series structured as country-specific monographs designed to present national legal systems across discrete areas of law.

The work examines Kazakhstan’s intellectual property regime through an integrated analysis of legislation, case law, institutional practice, and international commitments. This approach allows for a full account of not only the statutory framework, but also the practical mechanisms governing the protection, use, and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

The project’s significance lies in placing Kazakhstan’s intellectual property system within a global comparative law context. The volume is intended for academics, practitioners, government officials, students, and business actors seeking a coherent understanding of the country’s legal framework, policy environment, and operational practice in the field of intellectual property.

Abylaiuly A., Kazakhstani Law of Treaties: Commentary and Overview of Practice (Maqsut Narikbayev University Press, 2025). Published in Kazakh and Russian.

The completed project centers on Abay Abylaiuly’s Kazakhstani Law of Treaties: Commentary and Overview of Practice, published in Kazakh and Russian. The book serves as a teaching text and provides a structured analysis of the codification of treaty law in Kazakhstan, including an article-by-article commentary on the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On International Treaties,” along with a systematic review of the country’s publicly available treaty practice.

The project’s significance lies in organizing Kazakhstan’s treaty law not only as an academic subject, but also as a field of practical application. The work is intended for students, researchers, government officials, judges, and legal practitioners involved in the conclusion, implementation, amendment, and termination of international agreements. It establishes a foundational academic and applied framework for the continued development of treaty law in Kazakhstan.

Yeshniyazov N., Abdel Mottaleb M. IEL Private International Law: Kazakhstan (Wolters Kluwer, 2025). Published in English.

The completed project, IEL Private International Law: Kazakhstan, authored by Nurzhan Yeshniyazov and M. Abdel Mottaleb, provides a comprehensive account of Kazakhstan’s private international law in English. The volume is part of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws series and presents the national legal system within a global comparative law framework.

The work addresses core issues of jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, and international civil procedure, as well as cross-border aspects of family, succession, contractual, and corporate relationships. Its significance lies in making Kazakhstan’s private international law accessible to an international audience, including scholars, practitioners, courts, arbitrators, and legal advisors, while strengthening the academic foundation for the continued development of the field in Kazakhstan.

Dozhdev D., Roman Private Law. Translation to Kazakh by N. Yeshniyazov (Smart University Press, 2024)

The completed project centers on the Kazakh translation of Roman Private Law by D. Dozhdev, carried out under the supervision of Nurzhan Yeshniyazov. The work is a foundational doctrinal and instructional text on Roman private law, offering a systematic exposition of its core institutions and their relevance for understanding modern civil law. Dozhdev’s textbook is widely regarded as a leading reference on Roman private law in the post-Soviet academic space.

The project’s significance lies in providing Kazakh-language access to a core source on the legal foundations of private law. The translation addresses the shortage of foundational legal literature in the state language and strengthens the training of students, researchers, and practitioners, for whom a solid grounding in Roman private law remains essential to the study and application of contemporary civil and comparative law.

Yeshniyazov N., A Commentary on the Provisions of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Legislation in Private International Law: A Practical and Study Manual (Smart University Press, 2023). Published in Kazakh and Russian

The current research project centers on N. Yeshniyazov’s A Commentary on the Provisions of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Legislation in Private International Law: A Practical and Study Manual, published in Kazakh and Russian. The work provides a systematic commentary on Kazakhstan’s private international law framework, focusing on conflict-of-laws rules, methods for determining applicable law, and the practical operation of these rules in adjudication. It combines doctrinal analysis with a practice-oriented approach, bridging theory and application.

Within the Research School, the book is treated as a core component in building a modern academic foundation for private international law in Kazakhstan. It addresses fragmentation in the understanding of domestic regulation and advances a more coherent approach to the interpretation and application of conflict-of-laws rules. The volume is expected to enhance both legal education and practice, serving as a teaching text and a practical reference for lawyers, judges, and researchers.

Abylaiuly A., ‘On the Necessity of Responding to the Findings of the International Law Commission’ in International Law, Politics and Security in Central Asia-Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region (Springer, 2026).

The current flagship project centers on a chapter by Abay Abylaiuly, “On the Necessity of Responding to the Findings of the International Law Commission,” forthcoming in International Law, Politics and Security in Central Asia (Springer, 2026). The work addresses the problem of institutional silence among Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan, in response to the processes of progressive development and codification of international law carried out by the UN International Law Commission. It argues that the absence of systematic engagement with the Commission’s outputs limits the region’s participation in norm formation and diminishes its doctrinal influence.

Within the Research School, the project is framed as a rethinking of Central Asia’s—particularly Kazakhstan’s—role in the global lawmaking process. It advances a structured case for more active state engagement in international codification procedures, including the submission of comments, participation in deliberative processes, and the development of domestic mechanisms for responding to the Commission’s work. The chapter is expected to strengthen both academic and practical understanding of the importance of engagement with the Commission and to contribute to a more proactive approach to international legal policy.

The Research School of International and Private Law

About the Research School

Areas of activity of the Research School

Members of the Research School

Abay Abylaiuly is a PhD in International Law and an Associate Professor specializing in public international law, the law of treaties, competition law, and comparative law

Nurzhan Yeshniyazov is a PhD in Law and an Associate Professor specializing in private international law and international civil procedure

Alberto Pecoraro holds a PhD in International Law and is an Assistant Professor specializing in international economic law, investment law, and the legal regulation of deep seabed resource exploitation, with a particular focus on the interaction between national and international legal orders

Ramazan Kokzhalov is a PhD Candidate in Law and is a Senior Lecturer and practicing lawyer focusing on intellectual property, as well as corporate, investment, and international law

Sauryk Abirbek is a PhD in Law and is a Senior Lecturer and public official with experience in both the legislative and executive branches of government

Zhambyl Alekbay is a PhD in Law and is a Senior Lecturer specializing in international law and legal analytics

Mohammed Abdel Mottaleb holds a PhD in Law and is a lecturer and researcher specializing in private international law and international civil procedure

Aizere Arystanbek is a PhD in Law and is a lecturer specializing in the law of treaties

Rakhimbek Konglimkos is a Master’s candidate in International Law, a teaching assistant, and a researcher specializing in public international law, international economic law, and international dispute resolution

Ongoing projects

Completed projects