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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · International Law & Human Rights

Territorial integrity

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, territorial integrity means: The principle that a state's borders and territory must not be violated or changed by force or pressure from other states.

In Turkish: toprak bütünlüğü

How it is used

Protected by Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any state. Often paired with sovereignty: 'respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states'.

Example sentences

  1. The declaration reaffirms respect for the territorial integrity of all states in the region.

  2. The tension between territorial integrity and self-determination is a classic debate in international law.

  3. Both governments pledged to respect each other's territorial integrity.

Common collocations

  • respect territorial integrity
  • violation of territorial integrity
  • sovereignty and territorial integrity
  • territorial integrity of states
  • sovereigntyThe full right and power of a state to govern its own territory and people without outside interference; a basic principle of the modern international system.
  • self-determinationThe right of a people to choose its own political future and form of government, and to shape its own economic, social and cultural development.
  • non-interventionThe principle that states must not interfere in the internal affairs of other states, for example by using force or pressure to influence their political system.
  • international lawThe body of rules that governs relations between states and other international actors, based mainly on treaties, custom and general principles of law.

More terms: International Law & Human Rights

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