TELEGRAM OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RSFSRIN ARMENIA B. LEGRAND

History

TELEGRAM OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RSFSR
IN ARMENIA B. LEGRAND TO THE REVOLUTIONARY MILITARY COUNCIL
OF THE CAUCASIAN FRONT
ON THE 11TH RED ARMY COMMAND’S EXCEEDING ITS AUTHORITY
IN RELATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA
6 August 1920

From the latest summaries and reports of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 11th Army, as well as from documents handed to us by the Government of Armenia, it appears that the command of the 11th Army has, firstly, failed to secure a firm occupation by our forces of the city of Nakhichevan and the Shusha–Geryusy–Engelaurt–Karmelinovka–Nakhichevan route; secondly, having not carried out the direct order given to it, has issued ultimatum demands directly to the Armenian command that are not coordinated with our overall political line, and has accompanied those demands with threats whose execution lies beyond its competence and actual capability. In the reports addressed to us by the command of the 11th Army there is even talk of a firm intention to go over to the offensive and to eliminate the “Ararat Republic.”
<…>
RGASPI, f. 64, op. 1, d. 21, l. 58. Copy. Typewritten. (Emphasis added by us. – Y.B.).

  • In reply to this telegram, the Command of the Caucasian Front on 16 August 1920 issued a stern response to the RMC of the 11th Army, forbidding the Army Command to interfere in political matters of the relationship with Armenia and to advance its own ultimatums. (RGVA, f. 109, op. 10, d. 52, l. 166.)

№ 514

TELEGRAM FROM THE COMMAND OF THE CAUCASIAN FRONT
TO THE COMMAND OF THE 11TH RED ARMY ON THE FACT THAT THE TURKISH
BAYAZET DIVISION HAS BEEN DEPLOYED AGAINST ARMENIA
7 August 1920

Rostov-on-Don. 7/VIII-1920. In addition to the message sent by direct wire, I report that Khalil Pasha departed for Baku on 6/VIII; he will report details later. According to his statement, the Bayazet Division was deployed not with the intention of acting against the Bolsheviks, but rather to counter any Armenian action against us under the influence of the Entente. No. 8305/s.
Nash-Tavkaz Pugachyov Military Commissar Pechorsky
RGVA, f. 195, op. 11, d. 24, l. 21.

№ 515

TELEGRAM OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RSFSR
IN ARMENIA B. LEGRAND TO THE PEOPLE’S COMMISSAR
FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS G. CHICHERIN, DEMANDING THAT THE “AZERBAIJANI
PARTISAN MOVEMENT” AND THE ARBITRARINESS OF THE MILITARY COMMAND
BE SUPPRESSED, SINCE THEY ARE UNDERMINING A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT
WITH ARMENIA
Tiflis. 7 August 1920

The Armenian government hopes to obtain the consent of the Soviet government for the withdrawal of the Red troops from the so-called disputed districts, seeing this as a necessary condition for its readiness to begin peace negotiations with us on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Today we received an official written proposal from the delegation on this question. Our reply will be communicated tomorrow. The Armenian government will be asked to indicate its consent to the temporary occupation of the disputed districts — Karabakh, Zangezur, Nakhichevan — by Red troops.

The situation is complicated by the unfortunate course of operations of the 11th Army, which, according to available information, treated lightly the execution of the directive to occupy Zangezur and Nakhichevan: it advanced to Nakhichevan only a small cavalry detachment — about 120 sabers — and did not take measures to secure the Geryusy–Engelaurt–Nakhichevan route. As a result, our detachment in Nakhichevan found itself cut off, and our Turkish mission in the Engelaurt area was attacked, with the gold falling into enemy hands. Along with these unsuccessful temporary actions, our command does not spare ultimatum demands. On 2 August the Revolutionary Military Council, under the signatures of Commander Vasilenko and RMC member Lukin, presented in writing an ultimatum to the Armenian high command — an instruction to cease active operations and to notify by no later than 5 August, threatening otherwise a series of crushing blows. The Revolutionary Military Council undertook all these actions without our knowledge — we received a copy of the ultimatum from the Armenian government. The RMC limited itself to a brief and belated notification that the Armenian command had been “warned” of the necessity to cease active operations by Armenian forces.

In its communication to Kirov, the Revolutionary Military Council went so far as to express a resolute intention to commence an offensive against Armenia along the entire front and to liquidate, as it phrased it, the “Ararat Republic.”

Yesterday I informed the RMC of the Caucasian Front of the necessity to take decisive measures to secure firmly Nakhichevan and the indicated route, and of the absolute inadmissibility of a situation in which the Army command, instead of carrying out the direct instructions contained in the directive it received, pursues an independent policy that contradicts our general political line.

I expect your decisive and immediate support in this regard through the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic; otherwise the prospect of peace with Armenia will be jeopardized.

As for the actions of the Army command in Nakhichevan and Zangezur and the affair with the gold, I consider it urgent to appoint a special investigation through the Revolutionary Tribunal of the Republic.

In order for us to be able to work here with any hope of success, there must be confidence that Moscow will, with an iron hand, put an end to the Azerbaijani partisan movement and will help us to create conditions under which an agreement with the Armenian Government on the cessation of hostilities can be expected — once that is achieved, it will become practically obligatory also for our command in Azerbaijan, which is currently in every way disrupting our efforts.
RGASPI, f. 64, op. 2, d. 11, ll. 61–62. Copy. (Emphasis added by us. – Y.B.).

FROM THE REPORT OF THE DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE OF ARMENIA IN AZERBAIJAN

TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ARMENIA
CONTAINING A CHARACTERIZATION OF NARIMANOV’S PERSONALITY
Baku, 9 August 1920

Yesterday, on the 8th, at two o’clock in the afternoon, I had a meeting with the Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee, Dr. Narimanov.

This meeting was unavoidable, since Huseynov has not yet returned from Moscow. He is expected today, and in the meantime Narimanov substitutes for him. In general, I try to avoid meetings with Narimanov because he lacks even the courtesy typical of the Turkish race — that outward politeness — and displays his anti-Armenian sentiments far too openly, without even attempting to conceal them beneath a veneer of civility. He very often forgets that he is a Communist and reveals quite plainly his national Turkish character. Of course, the others are no more genuine Communists and internationalists than he is, but their dislike and antipathy are not expressed in such a cynical manner…*

TsGIA of Armenia, f. 200, op. 1, d. 4, l. 17. Original. Manuscript. Translated from Armenian.
The omitted section concerns the release of Armenian prisoners of war.

№ 517

RECORD OF A DIRECT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN
MEMBER OF THE CAUCASUS BUREAU OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RCP(B)
AND THE REVOLUTIONARY MILITARY COUNCIL OF THE CAUCASIAN FRONT
G. ORDZHONIKIDZE
AND THE PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RSFSR IN ARMENIA
B. LEGRAND
ON THE CONDITIONS FOR THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES
AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA
10 August 1920

At the apparatus. Legrand.
Comrade Ordzhonikidze at the apparatus. At the apparatus. Hello, Comrade.
Legrand. Hello. Today I gave my consent to the representatives of the Armenian Government for the cessation of hostilities under the following conditions:

The Armenian Government shall withdraw its forces from the territories of Zangezur and Nakhichevan up to Shakhtakhty, where Armenian border troops shall remain.*
The withdrawal is to be arranged so that the entire route from Nakhichevan through Karmalinovka and Engelaurt lies completely beyond the influence of Armenian forces in the Bazar-Chay area.
The Armenians shall pull back their troops beyond the Kyssyr-Dagh ridge.

The Armenian Government shall officially agree to the occupation by our forces of Nakhichevan, Zangezur, the Engelaurt route, and the Bazar-Chay area up to the aforementioned ridge.
On these terms, we undertake the immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of our units from the district of Ijevan to the Kazakh frontier.
Within two and a half hours, this agreement is to be signed.

As for the property plundered from our mission in Engelaurt, it will be stipulated that the Armenian Government undertakes to take all measures for its search and preservation, and, in case it is found, to return it to us.

Our troops are continuing their movement from Gerusy toward Nakhichevan. Dron’s bands have been defeated and scattered; artillery pieces and other trophies have been captured. Our military operations are progressing.

RGASPI, f. 85, op. 14, d. 9, l. 1. Typewritten copy (1936) of the document preserved in the RGASA archive.

№ 518

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AND THE RSFSR
ON THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES AND THE OCCUPATION BY SOVIET TROOPS
OF THE DISPUTED REGIONS OF KARABAKH, ZANGEZUR, AND NAKHICHEVAN
WITHOUT PREJUDGING THE RIGHTS OF EITHER PARTY
10 August 1920

On the 10th day of August 1920, the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, represented by its Plenipotentiary Representative B. V. Legrand, on the one side, and the representatives of the Republic of Armenia, A. Jamalyan and A. Babalyan, on the other side, proceeding from the recognition of the independence and full sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, have concluded the present agreement as follows:

  1. As of 12 o’clock noon on 10 August 1920, hostilities between the armed forces of the RSFSR and the Republic of Armenia shall be considered terminated.

Note: Any military actions that may occur after the said time owing to lack of communication or other technical obstacles shall not entail any consequences inconsistent with the provisions of this agreement.

  1. The forces of the Republic of Armenia shall occupy the following line: Shakhtakhty–Khok–Aznaburt–Sultanbek, and further along a line north of Kuki and west of Bazar-Chay (Bazar-Kend). In the Kazakh district they shall retain the positions they occupied on 30 July of this year.

The disputed regions — Karabakh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan — shall be occupied by the forces of the RSFSR, with the exception of the zone designated by the present agreement for the deployment of the troops of the Republic of Armenia.

  1. The occupation of the disputed territories by Soviet forces shall not prejudge the question of the rights of either the Republic of Armenia or the Azerbaijan Socialist Soviet Republic to these territories.
    By this temporary occupation the RSFSR intends to create favorable conditions for the peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis that shall be established by the peace treaty to be concluded in the near future between the RSFSR and the Republic of Armenia.
  1. Upon the cessation of hostilities, the contracting parties shall cease the concentration of military forces both in the disputed areas and along the borders.
  1. The RSFSR guarantees the free passage (with arms and equipment) into Armenia of all military units of the Armenian Government that may find themselves beyond the line occupied by Soviet forces.

This agreement is drawn up in two copies, one of which is delivered to the representatives of the Republic of Armenia, and the other to the Plenipotentiary Representative of the RSFSR.

Plenipotentiary Representative of the RSFSR in Armenia
(signed) B. V. Legrand

Delegates of the Republic of Armenia
(signed) A. Babalyan
(signed) A. Jamalyan

TsGIA RA, f. 200, op. 1, d. 581, l. 262. Certified copy. Typewritten.
Published in: Vestnik Arkhivov Armenii, 1967, No. 3, doc. 17, p. 46; The Republic of Armenia in 1918–1920 (A Political History): Collection of Documents and Materials, Yerevan: Gitutyun, 2000, pp. 248–249. (Emphasis added by us. – Y.B.)

Telegram from Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP(B) and the Revolutionary Military Council of the Caucasian Front, G. Ordzhonikidze, to V. Lenin, L. Trotsky, and the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR, G. Chicherin

On the Cessation of Military Operations Against Armenia and Its Consent to the Occupation of Nakhichevan by Soviet Troops
August 10, 1920

The region of Nakhichevan has been occupied by our troops. Today, Legrand signed an agreement with Armenia on the cessation of hostilities.
According to this agreement, the Armenian government expresses its consent to the occupation by our troops of the area already taken by us.
No. 731.
Ordzhonikidze
RGASPI, f. 85, op. 14, d. 5, l. 11. Original. Autograph. Published in: G. K. Ordzhonikidze. Selected Works. Yerevan, 1986, p. 116.

Letter from the Kemalist Emissary—One of the Organizers of the Armenian Genocide, Halil Pasha— to Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP(B) and the Revolutionary Military Council of the Caucasian Front, G. Ordzhonikidze

On the Necessity of a Joint Action by Turkey and the RSFSR Against Armenia in Order to Establish a Direct Connection Between Them
August 10, 1920

<…> The Armenians, advancing with regular forces on Nakhichevan, have interrupted the communication between Soviet Russia and Turkey by occupying the town of Shakhtakhty.
For the same purpose, Dashnak bands attacked a detachment of Reds in Angelyaut.
It is clear that, following directives from the English, the Dashnaks are striving to prevent the unification of Soviet and Turkish forces.

Turkey can no longer remain an indifferent observer of these obstacles created by the Dashnaks and of their outrages against the Muslim poor.
In order to ensure a firm connection between Soviet Russia and Revolutionary Turkey, in my view, the time has come to deliver an appropriate response to the Armenians’ offensive ambitions.

In the name of our great principles, I ask you, Comrade Ordzhonikidze, to exert all the weight of your influence to explain to Moscow the true state of affairs.

For your information, I am sending you translations of the wireless messages from the Eastern Turkish Command of July 23, 31, and August 1.

“Camarade Halil.”
RGASPI, f. 544, op. 3, d. 15, ll. 8–10. Original. Autograph. (Highlighted by us – Yu. B.)

Letter from the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR, G. Chicherin, to the Plenipotentiary Representative in Armenia, B. Legrand

On the Need to Resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Territorial Dispute by Developing a Mutually Acceptable Solution
August 10, 1920

<…>

Our brief experience in the Caucasus is marked by the fact that on one and the same issue we receive diametrically opposed reports.
The Dashnaks say that they represent the people and that the Armenian communists are an insignificant group, unsupported by anyone.
The Armenian communists, on the contrary, claim that the Dashnaks are hated by the broad popular masses and are sustained only by the armed force of nationalist detachments recruited mainly from Turkish Armenians.

The Armenian delegation asserts that our policy of occupying disputed territories has aroused hatred toward us throughout the Armenian nation.
The Armenian communists, meanwhile, claim that the working masses of Armenia would prefer us to occupy even more and are seeking refuge under the protection of our occupation authorities, fleeing from the counterrevolutionary despotism of the Dashnaks.
In general, there is not a single question on which we do not encounter two diametrically opposed versions.

One of the main tasks of our representatives in the Caucasus is to discern these contradictions in their environment and provide us with verified facts and a picture of reality based on serious study.

Let us now see how Georgia and Armenia will behave in the event of a European crisis.
Georgia, thanks to us, has obtained Batum.
Armenia, thanks to us, was spared a Turkish invasion, for the Kemalists had already carried out mobilization and begun their advance on Armenia when the receipt of our note compelled them to stop.

Both the Georgian and Armenian governments must understand that we will not forget later how each of them conducted itself at the moment of crisis, and that if they turn against us, it will have fatal consequences for them in the future.
They must also be made to understand what we have constantly explained to the small Baltic states—namely, that Soviet Russia is the only true friend of small nations, especially of the oppressed, such as the Armenian people.

At the same time, it is necessary to strive for the prompt resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute and to work out an agreement acceptable to both sides.

AVPR, f. 04, op. 51, p. 321a, d. 54870, ll. 18–18v. Copy. (Highlighted by us – Yu. B.) 522

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

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