STEPANAKERT. – The California State Senate’s passing of the resolution on the recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), or Artsakh, is a major and significant event for all Armenians, NKR Presidential Press Secretary Davit Babayan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In Babayan’s words, NKR, Armenia, and the Armenian diaspora have been making long efforts to achieve Karabakh’s international recognition.

“The California Senate’s passing of the resolution means that this [US] state has finally accepted the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. This is very symbolic; California recognized Karabakh’s independence on the eve of September 2, the day of the declaration of NKR’s independence. This is a gift from the residents of California to the people of Artsakh,” he stated.

Babayan also noted that the passing of this resolution has introduced a new quality to the process of NKR’s international recognition, since the US State of California is comparable to the world’s largest countries in terms of economic and demographic aspects.

“It can be said that one of the world’s major countries has accepted Karabakh’s independence. This fact is a new impetus and opportunity from the viewpoint of expanding the geographical scope of the recognition of NKR’s independence,” he noted.

The NKR presidential spokesperson also expressed a view that the recognition of NKR’s independence reflects the fact that Karabakh is an established democratic state.

As reported earlier, the California State Senate on Wednesday passed, by an overwhelming majority of votes, Assembly member Mike Gatto’s resolution (AJR 32) on the recognition of the independence and self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), or Artsakh.

AJR 32 encourages Artsakh’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation and formally calls upon the President and Congress of the United States to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.