Assessment of the Losses
On June 6, Kachaznouni, Khatisian, and Papadjanian returned to Tiflis and presented the treaty of Batum to the National Council. Assessment of the losses showed that Transcaucasia had been sheared of over 20 percent of its territory on which nearly 19 percent of its total population had lived in 1914. 52 Nearly three-quarters of the ceded territory had been wrenched from the Kars oblast and Yerevan guberniia as shown by the following figures:
Region |
Territory lost (in sq. km) |
Batum oblast 53 |
|
Batum okrug |
2,240 |
Artvin okrug |
2,080 |
|
|
Tiflis guberniia |
|
Akhalkalak uezd |
1,840 |
Akhaltsikh uezd |
1,760 |
|
|
Kars oblast 54 |
|
Kars okrug |
3,600 |
Kaghizman okrug |
2,720 |
Ardahan okrug |
3,360 |
Olti okrug |
1,840 |
|
|
Yerevan guberniia |
|
Yerevan uezd |
1,120 |
Alexandropol uezd |
1,200 |
Etchmiadzin uezd |
1,440 |
Surmalu uezd |
2,240 |
Sharur-Daralagiaz uezd |
960 |
Nakhichevan uezd |
2,400 |
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had awarded the Ottoman Empire nearly 16,000 square kilometres and six hundred thousand inhabitants of Transcaucasia. By the Batum treaties, Turkey gained an additional 12,800 square kilometres populated by six hundred and fifty thousand people, over two-thirds of whom were Armenians. 55 The national complexion of the affected uezds was as follows: 56
Ceded uezd or part thereof |
Georgian |
Moslem |
Armenian |
Russian |
Akhalkalak |
8,000 |
8,000 |
64,000 57 |
8,000 |
Akhaltsikh |
25,000 |
18,000 |
27,000 |
540 |
Surmalu |
- |
66,000 |
30,000 |
- |
Alexandropol |
420 |
3,000 |
173,000 |
2,000 |
Etchmiadzin |
- |
42,000 |
76,000 |
400 |
Yerevan |
- |
48,000 |
30,000 |
1,000 |
Sharur-Daralagiaz Nakhichevan 59 |
- |
12,000 |
5,000 |
60 |
The population in the remaining districts of the Yerevan guberniia, that is, in the Republic of Armenia, was composed of approximately three hundred thousand of the two million Russian Armenians and at least an equal number of refugees from Western Armenia and the regions surrendered at Brest-Litovsk and Batum. Even in this pitifully minute area, there were nearly a hundred thousand Moslems. 60
Before Khatisian's delegation had departed from Batum, Vehib Pasha had given his promise that every effort would be made to exempt Armenians remaining in the ceded territories from military conscription. If unforeseen events should necessitate their services, these Armenians would not under any circumstances be removed from their native districts. Moreover, all refugees from areas between the Brest and Batum boundaries would be from the Kars and Batum oblasts must be denied that privilege. 61 Having received this information, the Armenian National Council named a special commission to meet in Alexandropol with Kiazim Karabekir to finalise details for repatriation, exchange of prisoners, Turkish withdrawal from the Gharakilisa area, and Ottoman utilisation of transportation routes over Armenia. Despite the commission's repeated requests, Karabekir would sanction neither the return of the refugees nor the withdrawal of Ottoman forces from the Pambak district of northern Armenia. 62 He and his commanding officer, General Essad Pasha, complained bitterly about violations of the Batum Treaty, as Armenian armed bands and many villagers in the ceded territories, refusing to submit peaceably to Ottoman rule, attacked Turkish officials and sabotaged the military efforts of the Central Powers. 63 The Alexandropol discussions led to no agreement, but by mid-July Ottoman troops in the southern areas of the Yerevan guberniia finally attained the boundaries established by the Treaty of Batum. Turkish cannons were installed 6.4 kilometres from Etchmiadzin and 6.4 from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. 64
|