LETTER FROM THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE

History

LETTER FROM THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE IN AZERBAIJAN TO THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE IN GEORGIA REGARDING AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO CONQUER KARABAKH Baku, June 23, 1919

We hereby inform you that today a message of the following content was sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“Yesterday, members of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Chubaryan and Khodzhayan, returned from Karabakh, accompanied by two Tatar parliamentarians, Karabekov and Rustambekov. That evening, during a report presented to the National Council, it became clear that Governor-General Sultanov is undoubtedly responsible for the bloody events that occurred in Karabakh on the 4th and 5th of this month. These events were premeditated by Sultanov the day prior, through the seizure of roads leading from the districts to Shusha and the strategic positions overlooking the city.

Testimonies from numerous witnesses and their mission report will be forwarded to you following final editing. Most significantly, according to these parliamentarians, Karabakh is in a state of complete disarray and lacks any form of leadership. The population is in despair and uncertain of how to proceed. Villages in the southeastern part of Varanda and Khachen are entirely unable to harvest crops from their fields and orchards due to armed Tatar groups terrorizing them and preventing access to the land.

Given this siege-like situation, residents fear they will ultimately be deprived of the opportunity to gather what is an exceptionally abundant harvest this year. Under such circumstances, a mood of desperation prevails among the people, prompting them to consider ways to reconcile with the current situation and find acceptable means of submitting to Azerbaijani authority.

To this end, a congress was scheduled for the 20th (though due to various technical difficulties, it has been postponed to the 28th), at which the Karabakh issue is expected to be definitively resolved. Sultanov is employing every possible means to seize Karabakh and considers the matter settled, given that Dizak, Shusha, and Javanshir—both from the east and southeast, including the Zangezur district and Zabukh Gorge—are surrounded by Tatar forces. In the event of conflict, no external assistance can be expected.

Sultanov is currently amassing forces in Zangezur, believing the conquest of Karabakh to be complete. According to the deputies, Sultanov openly intends to initiate military action against Zangezur, viewing it as the only solution to the Karabakh dilemma. Although one or two members of the Karabakh National Council have gone to the districts to address organizational matters, the parliamentarians believe that without financial resources and sufficient military equipment, they are unlikely to fulfill their responsibilities.

To date, they have not received the aid allocated to them by the Armenian government from Zangezur, as Zangezur has retained all of it. There is currently no communication with Zangezur; all roads are blocked and under the control of Sultanov’s brother.

The overall impression is that Karabakh is experiencing a fateful crisis. Without decisive intervention, the region faces economic collapse, which may lead to internal division and the failure to resolve the Karabakh question.

Armenian members of parliament have been instructed that, in their stance at the upcoming congress, they must follow directives from Baku, as this issue is of state importance. The National Council is not the body to advise the people of Karabakh in this matter. In light of this, and presenting the general situation, I ask that all necessary considerations be taken into account.

Enclosed is also a statement from Colonel Claterberg of the British General Staff regarding the events in Karabakh, as well as Sultanov’s report to the government published in the newspaper Azerbaijan, the contradictions of which are evident.

According to the parliamentarians, full responsibility for the Karabakh events lies with the Governor, as confirmed by witness testimonies. The position and conduct of the British mission during this period are deserving of condemnation and reproach.”

Acting Diplomatic Representative Acting Secretary M. Ter-Trigoryan Central State Historical Archive of Armenia, Fund 276, Inventory 1, File 42, pp. 111–112. Original manuscript. Translated from Armenian. Published in: Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918–1923, Yerevan, 1992, Document No. 175. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.) Signature illegible.

REPORT FROM THE NEWSPAPER “MORNING OF THE SOUTH” ON THE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO DEFEND KARABAKH AND RESIST AZERBAIJAN’S AGGRESSIVE POLICY June 23, 1919

The Armenian National Council of Karabakh has, in its entirety, withdrawn from Shusha and relocated to the highland part of the region, from where it continues to govern the independent portion of Karabakh.

On the first day of the clashes in Shusha, a detachment of Armenian forces—numbering up to 4,000 men—advanced toward the city to aid their compatriots, but was halted by order of the British authorities and the Armenian National Council.

In a proclamation issued by the Armenian Revolutionary Party Dashnaktsutyun, the party condemned Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions and demanded more decisive measures in response.

In connection with the events in Karabakh, a massive protest rally was held in Yerevan outside the Parliament building. Following speeches by several speakers, the crowd, accompanied by music, marched to the residence of Prime Minister A. I. Khatisov.

Appearing on the balcony, the Prime Minister announced that he, together with Lieutenant Charles, head of the British mission, would soon depart for Tiflis to conduct negotiations with the British command regarding the Karabakh issue. The Minister pledged to fulfill the will of the people and to resolve the fate of the homeland once and for all—and, if necessary, to defend the just demands of the Armenian people with blood and arms.

Morning of the South, June 23, 1919. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.) Date of publication in the newspaper.

REPORT FROM THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE IN AZERBAIJAN TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC REGARDING THE MASSACRE OF ARMENIANS IN KARABAKH, ORGANIZED BY ACTING GOVERNOR SULTANOV, JUNE 3–6 June 24, 1919

Members of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Chubaryan and Khodjayan, recently returned from Karabakh and described the situation before and after the tragic events. According to local residents, beginning May 20, the Tatars silently declared a boycott against Armenians, prohibiting the transport of food into Armenian districts. Those who, driven by necessity, attempted to bring essential supplies through back routes were subjected to violence. This deepened the chill in relations between the two neighboring peoples.

From May 27, nomadic groups began ascending into the mountains—armed and in considerable numbers. In response to the continued boycott, Armenian peasants appealed to the Karabakh National Council for permission to halt the nomads, viewing it as the only means of counteraction. The Council rejected the proposal and forbade any interference with the nomads’ movement. During this same period, Armenians began disappearing in Tatar-populated areas, with no trace found.

In early June, Sultanov sought to relocate the treasury and telegraph office to the Tatar quarter of Shusha. Armenians gathered at the diocesan leader’s residence and resolved to appeal to the British mission to prevent the move. Their objections were twofold: first, most employees were women unlikely to work in the Tatar quarter; second, the boycott had created such tension that movement between the Armenian and Tatar sections of the city had become extremely difficult. Additionally, Armenians held substantial securities in the treasury, which they did not wish to relocate.

The British mission found these arguments compelling and assured the bishop that the relocation would not occur. Nevertheless, on June 2, Sultanov unilaterally transferred the treasury and post office to the Tatar quarter without warning. The Armenian side made no protest, and the British mission remained a silent observer.

On June 3, following Sultanov’s orders, Tatar units executed a coordinated plan to seize the strategic elevation known as “Yarma” along the highway to Goris, which controls the road from Varanda. Simultaneously, another Tatar group armed with machine guns and led by Russian officer Maksimovich occupied the area of Kertsin Glukh (“Summit of the Rock”) and the adjacent old Armenian trenches. These maneuvers triggered panic in the Armenian part of the city. Residents near the seized positions fled toward the city center.

In response, a group of Armenians led by Ensign Yakov Arzumanyan approached the Tatar positions, demanding their withdrawal. The officer replied that he could not vacate without orders and requested time to consult his battalion commander. As Maksimovich departed to report, gunfire erupted—on June 4, around 10 a.m.—and echoed throughout the city. Arzumanyan was shot dead, and four Tatars were killed. According to the investigation, no further casualties occurred during the firefight, which lasted until 4 p.m. on June 5.

However, Armenian craftsmen and civilians present in the Tatar quarter during the shooting vanished without a trace. Armenian petitions listed the names of their Tatar employers, yet local authorities conducted no investigation into the disappearance of approximately 40 Armenians. No perpetrators were identified, and not even the bodies were recovered.

At the same time, Tatars attacked the village of Karin Tak but were repelled thanks to British intervention. On June 5, the British succeeded in halting the gunfire. No attacks on nomads by Armenians were recorded, and no complaints were filed.

Peasants who survived the massacre in Gaybalushen recounted the following: sensing rising tensions due to the boycott and nomadic movements, they had approached residents of the neighboring Tatar village of Khalfalu and pledged—on bread and salt—that if attacked, they would defend one another. After the shooting began in Shusha, they reaffirmed their oath and vowed to maintain peaceful relations.

However, on June 5, gunfire from the city’s “Sangiyar” position targeted their village, killing four. Immediately afterward, neighbors from Khalfalu launched an assault. Terrified villagers fled through a shallow ravine; some headed north to hide in the brush. But the village was surrounded on three sides by armed groups, and the bridge over the river was under fire from Sangiyar. The fleeing villagers were forced to return and were slaughtered. Some who hid in the brush managed to reach Khankendi and the city, but others were also massacred. The village and its church were set ablaze, and property looted.

Armed bandits captured 50 people in the brush, robbed them, and claimed they were taking them to the Governor-General. Instead, the group—men, women, and children—was driven back to Gaybalushen and massacred near a nomadic camp above the village, with the attackers declaring the victims “sacrifices to the saints.” All homes were burned; those partially destroyed were filled with corpses.

Chubaryan visited the devastated village. He reported that the stench of burned bodies and decomposing corpses defied description. Graves dug by surviving relatives were desecrated, and bodies mutilated in search of hidden valuables. Of the village’s 70 homes, only about 180 people—mostly women, children, and the elderly—survived.

During the massacre on June 5–6, the British observed from the city but took no action to stop the carnage. The local authorities were entirely absent. Sultanov’s infernal plan was carried out in full view of the British. According to the peasants, the attack was initiated by Khalfalu residents, joined by Kurdish bands and soldiers. They noted that among the attackers were uniformed military personnel.

REPORT FROM THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE IN AZERBAIJAN TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC REGARDING THE TERROR UNLEASHED BY THE AZERBAIJANI GOVERNOR AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KARABAKH Baku, June 24, 1919

The residents of Karkajan and Pakhlul, witnessing the tragedy that befell Gaybalushen, appealed to the Azerbaijani military commander in Khankendi for assistance. He replied that if the Tatars launched an attack, he would be unable to defend them, as he had no orders to open fire. He advised them to hand over their property—itemized—to their Tatar neighbors. The villagers complied, and as a result, both villages were looted and destroyed.

On June 7, a Turkish officer named Alibek, accompanied by two askers, arrived from Khankendi to Gaybalushen and immediately halted the massacre.

When asked by parliamentarians why they did not resist the attack, the villagers responded that, first, they hoped such submission might spare their families, and second, they had no weapons, having been disarmed during the earlier Turkish occupation.

At the same time, many individuals traveling from Yevlakh to Shusha disappeared along the road, and no trace of them has been found.

Another striking feature of the situation in Karabakh is that Sultanov, in addition to regular troops, organized various armed criminal bands under the guise of “militia” throughout the region. These groups, through brazen and violent actions, terrorized the Armenian population of the Askeran district. Peasants are unable to leave their villages or cultivate their fields and orchards, which promise a good harvest. The looming threat of economic collapse has deeply affected their morale, and they are seeking ways to escape the crisis.

Sultanov has scheduled a peasant congress for June 25, at which the Karabakh question is to be resolved.

As for the mood in Armenian rural areas farther from Shusha, parliamentarians lack reliable and specific information. Sultanov is aware of who possesses the looted property from Karkajan and Pakhlul, but its return is conditioned on recognition of Azerbaijani authority.

It is an indisputable fact that Kurdish bands were deliberately invited to carry out pogroms and looting. All of Karabakh knows that a significant number of Turkish officers, soldiers, and even commissars remain in the region, directing the actions of their ally and kinsman Sultanov.

According to information received by delegate Khodjayan, Enver is allegedly in Sultanov’s hometown of Hadji-Samlukh, while British sources claim he is in Aghdam.

Acting Diplomatic Representative Acting Secretary Grigoryan Central State Historical Archive of Armenia, Fund 200, Inventory 1, File 309, pp. 171–173 verso. Original manuscript. Translated from Armenian. Published in: Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918–1923, Yerevan, 1992, Document No. 177. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.) Signature illegible.

MESSAGE FROM THE ARMENIAN DIPLOMATIC MISSION IN AZERBAIJAN TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC REGARDING THE TERROR UNLEASHED BY THE AZERBAIJANI GOVERNOR AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KARABAKH Baku, June 24, 1919

The parliamentary commission has returned from Karabakh. The impression left by the events is one of deep despair among the Karabakh population, with a noticeable shift in the peasants’ mood. Sultanov has convened a peasant congress for the 28th, which is expected to resolve the Karabakh question.

Peasants are being terrorized by armed bands of Tatars and Kurds and are unable to harvest their crops. The specter of impending famine is causing great anxiety. Following the destruction of Gaybalushen and the occupation of Shusha by Tatars, the population has been left without leadership.

The National Council, having reviewed the situation in Karabakh, is inclined to make concessions to Azerbaijan, having first informed the Armenian government. To this end, a delegation—comprising Ishkhanyan, Manandyan, and Khachatryan—is departing today.

The mood in Azerbaijani circles is jubilant. The parliamentary inquiry into the massacres was ceremoniously dismissed. On Friday, the Parliament will discuss the events in Karabakh.

Mission Secretary Arakelyants Central State Historical Archive of Armenia, Fund 200, Inventory 1, File 309, p. 161. Copy. Typescript. Published in: Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918–1923, Yerevan, 1992, Document No. 178. 333

Yuri Barsegov “Nagorno-Karabakh in International Law and Global Politics”

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