Map Close  
Person info Close  
Information Close  
Source reference Close  
  Svenska
 
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

Previous page Page 477 Next page Smaller font Larger font Print friednly version  
Misgivings Arising from the Mudros Armistice

The October 30 Ottoman-Allied Armistice was greeted with rejoicing throughout the Armenian world. Services of thanksgivings were held on every continent, but to the Armenian politicians there was cause for serious misgivings. The Armistice was, in general, lenient, and clauses dealing with Armenia were as vague as the Allied pledges toward that nation. The Armenians were directly affected by the following articles:


IV. All Allied prisoners of war and Armenian interned persons and prisoners to be collected in Constantinople and handed over unconditionally to the Allies.
V. Immediate demobilisation of the Turkish Army, except for such troops as are required for surveillance of the frontiers and for the maintenance of internal order.
VII. The Allies to have the right to occupy any strategic points in the event of any situation arising which threatens the security of the Allies.
XI. Immediate withdrawal of the Turkish troops from North-West Persia to behind the pre-war frontier had already been ordered and will be carried out. Part of Trans-Caucasia has already been ordered to be evacuated by Turkish troops; the remainder to be evacuated if required by the Allies after they have studied the situation there.
XV. Allied Control Officers to be placed on all railways including such portions of the Trans-Caucasian Railways as are now under Turkish control, which must be placed at the free and complete disposal of the Allied authorities, du consideration being given to the needs of the population. This clause to include Allied occupation of Batum. Turkey will raise no objections to the occupation of Baku by the Allies.
XVI. …the withdrawal of [Ottoman] troops from Cilicia, except those necessary to maintain order, as will be determined under Clause V.
XXIV. In case of disorder in the six Armenian vilayets, the Allies reserve to themselves the right to occupy any part of them. 83

During the course of negotiations aboard the "SS Agamemnon," Admiral Calthorpe had made certain concessions to Rauf, Reshad Hikmet, and Colonel Saadullah, the Ottoman conferees. The original draft of Article XXIV had included "Sis, Hajin, Zeytoun, and Aintab" with the "six Armenian vilayets" the Allies might occupy in the event of disorder. Turkish success in erasing the four districts from the article was highly significant, for Cilicia was thus disassociated from the Armenian provinces. Equally important was the modification of Article XI. In the original draft, the Ottoman were required to withdraw their forces from North Persia and all Transcaucasia, which, of course, included the Kars and Batum oblasts. On this point especially, the Ottoman delegates were obdurate. Izzet Pasha wired Rauf at Mudros that the three sanjaks should remain under Turkish control at least until conclusion of the general peace. Calthorpe compromised with the defeated enemy by requiring evacuation of only "part of Trans-Caucasia." Thus, on the Caucasus front, the Armistice permitted Ottoman armies to retain territories that had been seized during the war. 84