Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed landlocked self-proclaimed republic that is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The dispute dates back to 1918, and many wars have been fought over that South Caucasian land between the two nations. The international community considers the predominantly Armenian populated area as part of Azerbaijan, but many cities and states have acknowledged the historic presence of Armenians in the area and have decided to recognize the Republic of Artsakh. As for the United States, only a handful of U.S. states have recognized Artsakh.
It is important to note that while some U.S. States have not officially recognized Artsakh, they have done so on a local level and supported many initiatives that support Artsakh’s independence. They have also encouraged humanitarian projects in Artsakh. New Jersey is one of those states, and Senator Bob Menendez is an example of a Senator who has pushed for continuous aid to the people of Artsakh.
Lauren McLean, the Mayor of Boise, Idaho, stands with the Armenian community. On the same token, there are many other prominent State Representatives in the House and Senate that have been very vocal about Artsakh.
However, only a few of the U.S. states have recognized the Republic of Artsakh on an official capacity, and these states are:
1. Rhode Island (May 2012)
In May 2012, the Rhode Island House of Representatives in the U.S. passed a resolution calling on President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to recognize Republic of Artsakh.
2. Massachusetts (August 2012)
On August 2012, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a similar resolution to Rhode Island.
3. Maine (April 2013)
In April 2013, the Maine House of Representatives and Senate passed a resolution accepting Artsakh’s independence and urging President Obama to also accept Artsakh’s independence.
4. Louisiana (May 2013)
In May 2013, the Louisiana State Senate passed a resolution accepting Artsakh’s independence and expressed support for the Republic of Artsakh’s efforts to develop a free and independent nation.
5. California (May 2014)
In May 2014, the California State Assembly passed a measure recognizing Artsakh’s independence with a 70-1 vote. The measure also calls for President Obama and the U.S. Congress to recognize the Republic of Artsakh.
Before the state of California recognized Artsakh in May 2014, three cities within the State had already recognized it: Fresno, Highland, and Los Angeles.
6. Hawaii (March 2016)
The U.S. State of Hawaii unanimously voted to approve and recognize the Republic of Artsakh on March 30, 2016. Similar resolutions were also adopted on April 20, 2016 in Honolulu.
7. Georgia (March 2016)
The Georgia State House adopted a legislation recognizing the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and calling upon the international community “to give appropriate recognition to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic as a free, independent, and sovereign democracy,”
8. Michigan (September 2017)
The Senate of the U.S. State of Michigan overwhelmingly voted to adopt Resolution No. 99 recognizing Artsakh. The draft resolution was introduced by Michigan State Senator David Knezek.
9. Colorado (April 2019)
Colorado’s State Senate unanimously voted today to designate April 24 as “Colorado Day of the Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” through a strongly-worded resolution that also recognized the Republic of Artsakh and the recent cultural genocide in Nakhichevan.
10. Minnesota (May 2020)
The most recent state to recognize the Republic of Artsakh. A passed bill recognizing the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, encouraging the Republic of Artsakh to continue its efforts to develop as a free and independent nation, urging the President and United States Congress to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Republic of Artsakh, and designating May 5 as the day of statewide recognition of the Republic of Artsakh and the contributions of Armenian and Artsakhi individuals to the state of Minnesota.
The below U.S. States don’t recognize Artsakh as an independent State; however, they did recognize that Artsakh does not belong to Azerbaijan- the middlemen of this issue. There is no concrete information about whether they believe the Armenian populated land of Artsakh should join Armenia or not.
1. South Dakota (February 2014)
2. Wyoming (February 2014)
3. Tennessee (March 2014)
4. Mississippi (April 2014)
5. Kentucky (March 2016)
On the other end of the spectrum, two other States have passed a bill recognizing Artsakh as Azerbaijan territory.
1. Arizona (January 2014)
2. New Mexico (February 2014)
U.S. Government Representatives That Stand with Artsakh
Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) Armenian Caucus Co-Chair
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) – Armenian Caucus Vice-Chair
Rep. Schiff and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced the resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s violence and Turkey to put a stop on aiding and abetting Azerbaijan.
Rep. Mari Manoogian of Michigan helped pass a resolution condemning Azerbaijan for its continued aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and its ethnic Armenian citizens.
From California to New Jersey and the States in between, we are glad to have a strong political backing.
Recently, world cities and countries have been coming out in support of Artsakh. For example, non UN states Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria. And just today, October 16, the city of Milano in Italy adopted a motion calling on the Italian authorities to recognize the Republic of Artsakh
In my previous post I mentioned how to help Armenia right now and in that post I mentioned the U.S. politicians that have stood in solidarity from New Jersey representative Frank Pallone to representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas. It doesn’t matter what side of the political isle you are on this conflict, this is not about division, but rather about our mere existence.
Thanks for sharing. Really helpful
Hope all states will recognize as well as US
A problem that currently underway and too few know, I did not know of the various resolutions and positions taken state by state … reading it was enlightening!
What an interesting read! I had never heard of this before.
Hopefully all other states follow suit soon and recognize Artsakh!
Wow, very interesting. I always learn something new from your posts!!