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Then, General Paskevitch, who had been appointed chief commander of the Russian army instead of old Yermolov, and his 8,000 men joined the Armenian forces of Madatian. The new commander attacked the forces of Yerevan and defeated them in the vicinity of Ganja.



One year later, in 1827, Paskevitch occupied the city of Etchmiadzin and besieged Yerevan. He subsequently marched towards Nakhichevan and took the province in June. In August the Persians, led by Prince Abbas Mirza, arrived at the plains of Yerevan in an attempt to force the Russians to end their siege, but were defeated in battle near the city of Astarah. Finally, on October 2, the garrison of Yerevan, consisting of 4,000 men and 50 canons, surrendered. Volunteer Armenian infantrymen and cavalrymen participated during the entire campaign and fought side by side with the Russian soldiers. 22

After the fall of Yerevan, Paskevitch continued towards Tabriz and was preparing to persist all the way to Tehran. The Persian Shah agreed to sign the Turkmentchai Treaty (February 1828), according to which the Persians regained the provinces of Yerevan and Nakhichevan from Russia and paid almost 2,000,000 roubles in war indemnity.

One of the items in the Turkmentchai Treaty stated that the Armenians, who were living in the Persian-controlled provinces, had the right to move to the provinces which now were under Russian rule. Under this clause almost 35,000 Armenians, in particular from Salmas and Urmia, moved to Eastern Armenia and settled there. 23 As a result of insisting on the implementation of this item, in regard to the Armenian women who were in the harem of the Shah and wished to move to Eastern Armenia, Griboyedof, the Russian ambassador in Tehran, was killed. 25

One of the most important results of this treaty was the fact that a major part of Armenia came under Russian rule. A significant part of the Armenian people was thereafter provided with security and order, and due to the contact with Tsarist Russia, which in spite of its disadvantages, was more modern than any other region in Asia, received a greater opportunity for development and progress. This development and progress soon highlighted the unbearable existence of the other part of the Armenians who were under Turkish rule.

The Russian invasion of the Caucasus and Armenia had geographical significance which allowed an end to the trials of the Armenian nation. This hardship had fallen upon the nation since the 11th century, since an area which had been associated with Greek civilisation and an Armenia united with the West, had disappeared through the Turanian rule over Asia Minor. The decay of Armenia, in the midst of a Muslim world with only the exception of Georgia, ended with the Russian advance at the beginning of the 19th century.

This occupation of the Caucasus was also of great significance for Russia. The mining of the riches of the Caucasus, for instance, constituted one of the foundations of Russian economic strength. Geographically and historically, the Caucasus formed an important bridge for Russia, opening the road towards the Middle East and the Near Orient.