Memorandum Issued to Ivan Karapet Along with the Imperial Letter to the Armenian People Regarding Russia’s Readiness to Take the Armenians of Karabakh Under Its Protection June 3, 1723

On June 3, 1723, His Imperial Majesty, in his high office at the Foreign Affairs Collegium, in the presence of (in addition to the appointed ministers of that collegium) Admiral General Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin and Privy Councillor Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, listened to and approved the memorandum addressed to the Armenian Ivan Karapet. This memorandum, sent to the Armenian people along with His Majesty’s imperial letter, was issued in response to their petition. The memorandum was translated from Russian and given to Karapet in Armenian, unsigned, with the following content:

Since the Armenian people residing in Persia, along with their distinguished leaders—including Patriarch Nerses, as well as the notable figures Isaak from the province of Parartu, Sergei from the province of Charaperutu, and Shirvan, Grigory, Sarukhan, and Avan, commanders from the province of Khachin—have informed us through their dispatched letters of the great persecution they suffer at the hands of neighboring non-believers, they have petitioned us to take them under our Christian protection and liberate them with a strong hand from the yoke of these infidels. They have also declared that they have gathered a significant number of military forces and are defending themselves as best they can while awaiting our assistance, requesting that we reinforce their Christian Armenian nation by sending gracious imperial letters and decrees to the aforementioned four distinguished Armenian leaders.

Therefore, we have judged it appropriate to dispatch Ivan Karapet to these leaders, the Patriarch, and the entire Armenian people residing in Persia, instructing him to assure them of our firm and unwavering imperial grace. He is to inform them that we, in response to their petition, are inclined and ready to accept them under our protection and liberate them from the infidels’ rule. However, they must recognize that it is necessary for us to first establish a stronghold on the Caspian Sea, secure the lands along its shores, and prepare for a campaign to join the Armenians and assist them. Thus, we are actively working toward this, and our troops are already in Gilan, with additional reinforcements being sent there. Likewise, another army has been dispatched to Baku, and we hope they have already entered the city and taken control. All necessary preparations are being made so that, with God’s help, we can soon launch a strong campaign in the region and provide decisive military aid to the Armenian people, liberating them from their oppressors.

They must therefore maintain their determination and resolve without faltering, ensuring their survival for a short time through all possible means while being fully assured that we will soon find ways to provide them with strong defense and protection. If, in the meantime, their situation becomes critically dangerous and it is no longer possible for the most distinguished Armenians to remain in their homeland, they should relocate to cities under our current protection and authority on the Caspian Sea. The general population should remain in quiet anticipation until all necessary preparations are completed and we are in a position to decisively intervene with appropriate force.

To ensure they have full confidence in our commitment to them, we are sending an official open decree for Ivan Karapet to present to their leaders and the wider Armenian community where necessary. This document is written in general and ambiguous terms so that, should it accidentally fall into the hands of infidels, it would not lead to severe persecution or oppression of the Armenian people before we are ready, with God’s help, to provide them with effective military support.

Chancellor Count Golovkin Pyotr Tolstoy

Note: His Imperial Majesty personally reviewed and approved this memorandum at the Foreign Affairs Collegium.

Archival Reference: AVPR, f. 100, 1723, d. 2, ll. 15–16 ob. Original. Published in G.A. Ezov’s collection, document No. 229; Armenian-Russian Relations in the First Third of the 18th Century, Vol. II, Part II, Yerevan, 1967, document No. 185. (Highlighted by us – Y.B.).

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

Artatsolum

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