I. THE PARTIES 

1. The Claimants are Caratube International Oil Company LLP (“Caratube”), a Kazakh-incorporated company, and Mr. Devincci Salah Hourani, a U.S. national (jointly “the Claimants”).1 

2. The Respondent is the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Kazakhstan” or “the Respondent”).

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY 

3. On 5 June 2013, the Claimants submitted a Request of Arbitration against the Respondent (the “Request of Arbitration”) to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”). 

4. On 28 June 2013, the Secretary-General of ICSID registered the Request of Arbitration pursuant to Article 36(3) of the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States, dated 18 March 1965 (the “ICSID Convention”). 

5. The Tribunal was constituted on 7 January 2014, in accordance with the ICSID Convention and the ICSID Arbitration Rules, and reconstituted on 29 April 2014, following the disqualification of an arbitrator and the subsequent appointment of Dr. Jacques Salès. 

6. The first session of the Arbitral Tribunal was held on 4 June 2014 at the World Bank Paris Conference Centre. Thereafter, on 20 June 2014, the President of the Arbitral Tribunal issued Procedural Order No. 1, together with the Timetable for the present arbitration in Annex A. 

7. The last issue addressed in Procedural Order No. 1 (“Other matters”) recorded a concern voiced by the Claimants at the end of the first session with respect to the Respondent’s conduct in the present proceedings. The Claimants expressly reserved their right to request provisional measures. The relevant paragraph of Procedural Order No. 1 states as follows: