List of twin towns and sister cities in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
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The Republic of Artsakh is a republic with limited recognition in the South Caucasus region. The Republic of Artsakh controls most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (before the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
, it also controlled some of the surrounding area). It is recognized only by three other non-UN member states,
Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
,Вице-спикер парламента Абхазии: Выборы в НКР соответствуют всем международным стандартам
: "Абхазия, Южная Осетия, НКР и Приднестровье уже давно признали независимость друг друга и очень тесно сотрудничают между собой", - сказал вице-спикер парламента Абхазии. ... "...Абхазия признала независимость Нагорно-Карабахской Республики..." - сказал он."
South Ossetia and Transnistria. The rest of the international community recognizes Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. In November 2012, a member of Uruguay's foreign relations committee stated that his country could recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's independence. In 2012, Armenia and Tuvalu established diplomatic relations and it was expected that Tuvalu may recognize Artsakh's independence. In October 2012, the
Australian state The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...
of New South Wales recognized Nagorno-Karabakh. In September 2014, the Basque Parliament in Spain adopted a motion supporting Artsakh's right to self-determination and in November 2014, the Parliament of Navarre, also in Spain, issued a statement supporting Artsakh's inclusion in taking part in settlement negotiations. At the present, no diplomatic missions of other countries exist in Artsakh. On the other hand, the republic has built a small network of representative offices around the world. Currently it has representative offices in seven countries.


Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign policy of the state is governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Artsakh. The Ministry is based in the capital city of
Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
. Currently, the
Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
is
David Babayan David Klimi Babayan (, ''Davit' Klimi Babayan''; born 5 April 1973 in Stepanakert) is the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh. From 28 December 2013 he served as Head of the Central Information Department of the Artsakh Republic. He al ...
.


Bilateral relations


Abkhazia

The Republic of Artsakh and the partially recognized Republic of
Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
recognize each other. Both states abolished visa requirements for their citizens and participate in the
Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations The Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations (russian: Сообщество за демократию и права народов), also commonly and colloquially known as the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States, rarely as CIS-2 (), is a ...
.


Australia

In 2012, the
Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...
called upon the Australian government to recognize Artsakh. Artsakh maintains a Representative Office in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia.


Armenia

Artsakh has very close relations with Armenia. It functions as a ''de facto'' part of Armenia. A representative office of Nagorno-Karabakh was established in Yerevan.


Europe

The Republic of Artsakh maintains three representative offices in Europe, including Berlin, Paris, and Moscow. Artsakh gave a positive response to the Russian recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk, however this did not extend to their own issuance of recognition.


Lebanon

The Republic of Artsakh maintains a Representative office in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. In March 2018, Artsakh president
Bako Sahakyan Bako Sahaki Sahakyan ( hy, Բակո Սահակի Սահակյան; born 30 August 1960) is an Artsakhi politician who served as the third president of the ''de facto''-independent Republic of Artsakh from 2007 to 2020. He is the longest-serving p ...
visited Lebanon and met with Catholicos Aram I, the head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In May 2018, representatives of the Artsakh city of
Martakert Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, in ...
and the Lebanese town of Bourj Hammoud signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the latter town.


South Ossetia

The Republic of Artsakh and partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia recognize each other. Both states abolished visa requirements for their citizens and participate in the
Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations The Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations (russian: Сообщество за демократию и права народов), also commonly and colloquially known as the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States, rarely as CIS-2 (), is a ...
.


Transnistria

Republic of Artsakh and Transnistria recognized each other and abolished visa requirements for their citizens. There are many joint activities between the two countries. In 2001, both countries in
Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
signed the Protocol on Cooperation and Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Transnistria and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh. Transnistria also participates in the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.


United States

The United States has not established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Artsakh and recognizes it as part of Azerbaijan. Support for Artsakh in the United States is manifested above all at the
state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
level. Several of them have adopted Artsakh support resolutions. In May 2012, the Rhode Island House of Representatives in the United States passed a resolution calling on President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to recognize the Republic of Artsakh. In August 2012, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a similar resolution. In April 2013, the
Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...
and
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
passed a resolution accepting Artsakh's independence and urging President Barack Obama to also accept Artsakh's independence.http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0987&item=1&snum=126 In May 2013, the
Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
passed a resolution accepting Artsakh's independence and expressed support for the Republic of Artsakh's efforts to develop as a free and independent nation.http://senate.la.gov/sessioninfo/2013/RS/Journals/05-30-2013.pdf In May 2014, the
California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...
passed a measure recognizing Artsakh's independence with a 70–1 vote. The measure also called for President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to recognize the Republic of Artsakh. The US state of Hawaii unanimously voted to approve and recognize the Republic of Artsakh on March 30, 2016. The Republic of Artsakh has also established a representative office in Washington, D.C. In addition, Artsakh government officials regularly maintain contact with members of the United States Congress. In October 2019, the Foreign Minister of Artsakh noted that the authorities of the Republic attach great importance to the relations between Artsakh and the United States at various levels. The Minister also stated his appreciation of the United States for financial aid and support for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and hoped for further developing cooperation during a meeting with US Congress members.


Independence recognition efforts


Non-UN member states


U.S. states


Other

In October 2012, the
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n state of New South Wales recognized Nagorno-Karabakh however it was reaffirmed by the Australian
Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
in November 2015 that the federal government of the Commonwealth of Australia does not, and supports Azerbaijan's claim to the state. In 2017, The
Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and th ...
Party announced that it recognizes the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). In October 2020, the New South Wales Legislative Assembly recognized the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, 61 for and 2 against. The motion also condemned the attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the indigenous Armenians of Artsakh during the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
. In September 2014, the Basque parliament adopted a motion supporting Nagorno-Karabakh's right to self-determination. In the Philippines, various politicians are in favor of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) recognition and have suggested for the cooperation of ASEAN (which includes ten Southeast Asian nations) in the recognition of the country, however, the current administration has yet to prioritize the issue due to an ongoing drug war and a shift to federalism. Before California recognized Nagorno-Karabakh in May 2014, three places within the state had already recognized it: * Fresno County (April 2013) *
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
(November 2013) * Los Angeles (January 2014) In addition, Highland is twinned with
Berdzor Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of Nag ...
and Montebello is twinned with
Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
.Wright, Pam. "Montebello's newest Sister City program has come under fire from an ambassador for the Republic of Azerbaijan." ''
Whittier Daily News The ''Whittier Daily News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for Whittier, California, United States. Coverage area includes Whittier, South Whittier, Pico Rivera, La Habra Heights, Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. The ''Whittier Daily News'' is ...
''. November 19, 2005.
In November 2019, the French Communist Party urged the French Government to recognize the independence of Artsakh. On 25 November 2020, the French Senate adopted a resolution to recognize the independence of Artsakh. On 15 October 2020, the Italian city of Milan became the first ever large European city to recognize the Republic of Artsakh. On 3 November 2020, the city of
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, as well as Asolo,
Cerchiara di Calabria Cerchiara di Calabria is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza, part of the Calabria region of southern Italy. Located in the Pollino National Park, Cercharia occupies the ancient site of ''Arponium'' in Magna Graecia, later known ...
, and the Italian region of
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
followed. On 24 October 2020, Nadia de León, the President of the
Central American Parliament The Central American Parliament ( es, Parlamento Centroamericano), also known as PARLACEN, is the political institution and parliamentary body of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Its headquarters are in Guatemala City. History ...
announced her support for the right of self-determination of Artsakh. On 5 November 2020, the city of
Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
in Quebec recognized the independence of Artsakh. On 13 November 2020, the legislature of Uruguay's Montevideo Department unanimously recognized the independence of the Republic of Artsakh.


Inter-parliamentary relations

*On 26 February 2013, a parliamentary friendship group was established between the Republic of Artsakh and the Parliament of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. *On 19 March 2013, a parliamentary friendship group was established with parliament members and senators of France. *In October 2014, a parliamentary friendship group was established between Artsakh and the European Parliament. *In October 2017, parliamentary friendship groups were established with both the Parliament of Wallonia and
Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural communi ...
in Belgium. *On 19 March 2019, an Artsakh- Canada Friendship Group was established between the National Assembly of Artsakh and the
House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...
. *On 1 August 2019, an Artsakh-
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
Friendship Group was established between Artsakh and various Australian politicians including Federal Parliament Senators and Ministers, as well as the Premier of the State of New South Wales. *On 8 December 2019, Artsakh National Assembly Speaker Ashot Ghulyan received First Vice President of
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
’s Congress, Felipe Alejos Lorenzana. The sides discussed establishing inter-parliamentary ties. *In June 2020, a parliamentary friendship group was established between the Republic of Artsakh and members of the Parliament of Cyprus.


International organisation participation

* The Republic of Artsakh is a member of one international organization, the Community for Democracy and Human Rights, also commonly known as the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States. * The Republic of Artsakh also maintains contacts with the OSCE Minsk Group established in 1992 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Artsakh. * In October 2017, the President of Artsakh,
Bako Sahakyan Bako Sahaki Sahakyan ( hy, Բակո Սահակի Սահակյան; born 30 August 1960) is an Artsakhi politician who served as the third president of the ''de facto''-independent Republic of Artsakh from 2007 to 2020. He is the longest-serving p ...
visited the
European Friends of Armenia The European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) is an international non-governmental organization established in 2009, which aims to promote cooperation between the European Union and Armenia. Mission The main goal of the EuFoA is to strengthen ties b ...
(EuFoA) headquarters in Belgium. A number of issues were discussed including relations between Artsakh and the EU. The President thanked EuFoA for reinforcing ties between Artsakh and various pan-European structures. * In March 2019, the Speaker of the National Assembly (Artsakh),
Ashot Ghulian Ashot Vladimiri Ghulian ( hy, Աշոտ Վլադիմիրի Ղուլյան; born 19 August 1965) was the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh between 2005 and 2020. Early life He was born on 19 August 1965 in the Khndzri ...
met with European Parliament members in Brussels, during which he explored opportunities to include Artsakh in European Union programs. The Speaker also highlighted the necessity to maintain and promote cooperation between the two sides. * Artsakh officials also have regular contact with the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
. In October 2019, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, held a number of meetings with high-ranking officials of the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
. Possible areas of cooperation between Artsakh and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as well as the need to ensure international engagement of unrecognized states was discussed.


International conventions

In addition to the above, Artsakh is also a signatory to several international conventions and treaties, including: * International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights * International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights * European Convention on Human Rights


Participation in international sports federations

* The
Artsakh Football Association The Artsakh national football team ( hy, Արցախի ֆուտբոլի հավաքական), until 2017 known as Nagorno-Karabakh national football team, is the national representative of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which is intern ...
is a member of
Confederation of Independent Football Associations The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Competitions Women's football All members of CONIFA are encouraged to inv ...
. ** Artsakh participated in the
2014 ConIFA World Football Cup The 2014 ConIFA World Football Cup was the first edition of the ConIFA World Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by ConIFA and a successor of V ...
in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, the
2015 ConIFA European Football Cup The 2015 ConIFA European Football Cup was the first edition of the ConIFA European Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by CONIFA. The tournamen ...
in Hungary and the
2016 ConIFA World Football Cup The 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup was the second edition of the ConIFA World Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA organised by ConIFA. The tournament was ...
in Abkhazia ** In June 2019, the
2019 CONIFA European Football Cup The 2019 Sportsbet.io CONIFA European Football Cup was the third edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup, an international football tournament for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA with an affiliation ...
was hosted in Artsakh. * Artsakh and its citizens also participate in the Pan-Armenian Games.


See also

*
Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations The Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations (russian: Сообщество за демократию и права народов), also commonly and colloquially known as the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States, rarely as CIS-2 (), is a ...
* Foreign relations of Armenia *
List of representative offices of Artsakh The Republic of Artsakh is a republic with limited recognition in the South Caucasus region. The Republic of Artsakh controls most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (before the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, it also con ...
*
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Republic of Artsakh) This is a list of foreign ministers of the Republic of Artsakh. *1993–1997: Arkadi Ghukasyan *1997–2002: Naira Melkumyan *2002–2004: Ashot Gulyan *2004–2005: Arman Melikyan *2005–2011: Georgy Petrosyan *2011–2012: Vasily Atajan ...
*
Political status of Artsakh The political status of Nagorno-Karabakh has remained unresolved since Azerbaijan's recognition as an independent state in 1991. During the Soviet Union, it had been an ethnic Armenian autonomous oblast of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic ...
*
Politics of Artsakh Politics of Artsakh takes place within the constraints of a written constitution, approved by a popular vote, that recognises three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch of government is exercised wit ...
*
Politics of Europe The politics of Europe deals with the continually evolving politics within the continent of Europe. It is a topic far more detailed than other continents due to a number of factors including the long history of nation states in the region as ...
*
Visa policy of Artsakh Visitors to Artsakh must obtain a visa unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. Visa policy Citizens of the following countries, including those from the Commonwealth of Independent States and all Eurasian Union member states, ...


References


External links


Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno Karabakh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Relations Of Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign relations of the Republic of Artsakh