There is universal recognition in international law that Nagorno-Karabakh remains under the sovereign territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and that Armenian occupying forces should withdraw from the region. The following United Nations Security Council resolutions have been passed with respect to Nagorno-Karabakh:

Each of these resolutions reaffirms both the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility on the use of force for the acquisition of territory. Moreover, on 14 March 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution by a vote of 39 to 7, with 100 abstentions, reaffirming Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, expressing support for that country’s internationally recognized borders and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all occupied territories there.

Some international commentators have noted that resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict rests on whether the principle of sovereign integrity or self-determination should apply in this case. However, considering self-determination in this case – which is what Armenians have been calling for – is misleading, since self-determination only applies when the people in question do not have a sovereign land, which clearly does not apply in the case of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.