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Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

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The Batum Peace Conference

On April 28, three days after the fall of Kars, Vehib Pasha communicated to Tiflis his government's recognition of the Transcaucasian Republic. Honouring Chkhenkeli's request to resume peace talks, the Ottoman government was sending Halil Bey, the Minister of Justice, to Batum. Accompanying him would be delegates from the North Caucasus, an area that had also separated from Russia. The Sublime Porte hoped that an accord could be worked out in Batum for the unification of Transcaucasia and North Caucasus. 69 Chkhenkeli immediately thanked Vehib for the kind consideration and reminded the general of the April 13 Turkish note stating that all the Central Powers could participate in the parleys as soon as Transcaucasia had formally declared independence. Now that this prerequisite had been fulfilled, Chkhenkeli wanted to know who would be the representatives of Turkey's allied governments. 61 The Ottomans did not reply to this inquiry until after the Batum Conference had convened.

The approximately fifty Transcaucasian delegates and counsellors departed from Tiflis on May 5. Voting privileges were accorded to Akaky Chkhenkeli, Nikolai Nikoladze, Alexander Khatisian, Hovhannes Kachaznouni, Mahmed Hasan Hajinsky, and Mehmed Emin Rasul-Zade. Among the leading advisers were the Georgians, Zurab Avalov and General I. Z. Odishelidze; Armenians, Mentor Buniatian and Simon Vratsian; and Moslems, Fathali Khan Khoisky and Aslan Bek Safikurdsky. For the Ottomans, the only official delegate other than Halil was General Mehmed Vehib Pasha. 62 At the opening session on may 11, Chkhenkeli accepted a Turkish proposal to invite Haidar Bammat and Abdul Chermoev of the so-called North Caucasus Republic to participate. Present as observers were the Germans, General Otto von Lossow, military attaché to Turkey; Count Friedrich von der Schulenburg, former vice-consul in Tiflis; and Otto Günther von Wesendonck, adviser on Caucasian affairs. 63

Halil Bey, erstwhile associate of Armenian leaders in Constantinople, welcomed the delegates and hailed the "beautiful star of freedom" which shone over Transcaucasia. Chkhenkeli responded with appropriate phrases and then, announcing recognition of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, requested an official text so that his delegation could stud the provisions in detail. 64 To the Transcaucasians, the matter seemed simple. They would submit to the treaty but attempt to win certain minor territorial rectification. The men from Tiflis were shaken, when Halil replied: "The struggle between the Turkish and Transcaucasian forces was resumed and unfortunately blood was shed. Thus, in view of this, the character of our relations has changed. I cannot allow, consequently, that the Brest-Litovsk treaty be recognised as the exclusive basis for our negotiations." Then the Ottoman Minister of Justice declared that, to facilitate matters, his government had already prepared a draft treaty to be presented to Chkhenkeli. There was little need for prolonged negotiations. Even before reading the document, the Transcaucasian Premier and Foreign Minister insisted that all four Central Powers participate in the deliberations. Halil rejected the proposal on the ground that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk allowed any of the Central Powers to conclude agreements with other states before submitting the terms to the other three allies for approval. 65 The war of words had begun and was to intensify daily until the end of the month.

When the Transcaucasian delegation read the draft treaty, it became obvious that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was regarded as obsolete by the Ottoman government. In addition to Kars, Ardahan, and Batum, the Ittihadist rulers now demanded, from the Tiflis guberniia, the Akhalkalak and Akhaltsikh uezds and, from the Yerevan guberniia, the entire Surmalu uezd and that part of the Alexandropol and Etchmiadzin uezds through which the Kars-Joulfa railway passed. A series of annexes dealt with subjects such as trade and navigation, frontier traffic, Ottoman transit rights through Transcaucasia, and reduction of the armed forces of the Tiflis government. 66 It seemed as if Stalin was correct in predicting that independence would lead to obsequious dependence.

The Transcaucasian manoeuvred desperately and vainly. Chkhenkeli cited the Brest-Litovsk proviso that indicated the necessity of a treaty between all Central Powers and the other contracting state before bilateral additional agreements could be negotiated. Halil chided Chkhenkeli for raising the point. Determining which questions on the agenda pertained to all Central Powers and which to Turkey alone was not the business of the Transcaucasian delegation, whose opinion was neither solicited nor appreciated. 67

Following the May 11 plenary session, which proved to be the only official meeting of the two delegations, several notes were exchanged between Chkhenkeli and Halil. Transcaucasia's spokesmen repeatedly insisted that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk be honoured and that all Central Powers participate in the ensuing conference. The Turkish response was a categorical rejection. Halil ridiculed Chkhenkeli's claim that the Transcaucasian delegation at Trabizond had accepted the treaty, which thus should serve as the basis for current talks. Chkhenkeli was reminded that he himself had admitted to Rauf Bey that the Seim had repudiated the treaty and had recalled the delegation. The Turkish chief delegate then warned that further obstinacy would result in deleterious consequences. 68 Halil Bey's words were not empty threats. While the bickering in Batum increased, Turkish armies rolled through Alexandropol toward the few remaining Armenian districts of Transcaucasia. Western Armenia had already been obliterated. It was now the turn of Eastern Armenia.