DAVIT SAROYAN

Applicant at the Institute of Philosophy,

Sociology and Law of the National Academy

of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59546/18290744‑2026.1‑3‑11

Annotation.

This article provides a detailed examination of the limitations imposed on state sovereignty within the doctrine of international law and in the practice of states. This issue becomes particularly acute when a state joins international governmental organizations (for example, the European Union). In such cases, states must align their sovereign rights with the charters of these organizations (such as the UN Charter) and adjust their practical activities to meet the requirements set forth in those charters. The situation becomes even more complex when a state is a member of a supranational organization or institution. In such instances, the state, as a rule, voluntarily relinquishes part of its sovereign rights in favor of the functional competencies of that organization.

Regimes established by international treaties also play an important role by defining norms, rules, and procedures that ensure global regulation in specific fields, such as the non‑proliferation regime for nuclear weapons or international transport systems. All of this leads to national lawmaking becoming increasingly intertwined with international legal norms, while states themselves become part of an expanding system of global governance.

The article also highlights the distinction between the internal and external dimensions of sovereignty. Internal sovereignty is reflected in the state’s regulatory authority over society and the economy, its monopoly on the legitimate use of force, and its power to implement fiscal and economic policies. External sovereignty, in turn, manifests itself in the international recognition of states, respect for their territorial integrity, and the conduct of external economic policy. Growing international interdependence, along with the use of sanctions and mechanisms of economic pressure, simultaneously expands and limits the external autonomy of states.

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