Navigating between international recognition paradigms : prospects and challenges for Nagorno-Karabakh

Abstract

The recognition by the US and Australian states also promotes the image of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a viable and democratic state entity that deserves international recognition. And due to these recognition resolutions adopted by some Australian and US states the NKR’s status, as well as NKR's profile, has been consolidated and advanced at some international platforms. However, the interview results have shown that the level of the advancement of the NKR’s international standing resulted from these sub-states’ recognition is not big enough. The hypothesis of this research project, which says: The recognition resolutions by the US and the Australian States improve the NKR’s international standing, is partially approved, since although all the interviewees have agreed that the NKR’s recognition Australian and US states do have positive impact on the overall international standing of Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority of the interviewees (ten out of nineteen) stated that these resolutions have brought middle (neither big, nor little) progress on the NKR’s international standing. It can be also concluded that the adoption of the NKR recognition resolutions by the US and Australian Legislative bodies was just the kickoff of the long chain of the possible prospects and opportunities for the both sides.