Telegram via Direct Line from RVS Member of the Caucasian Front V. Trifonov

History

To Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic E. Sklyansky and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic S. Kamenev On the Offensive Preparations by I. Stalin, S. Kirov, and G. Ordzhonikidze of the 11th Red Army toward Erivan November 10, 1920

At the apparatus: Member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Front, Comrade Trifonov. Please transmit the following note to Comrades Sklyansky and Kamenev.

To Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic Sklyansky and Commander-in-Chief Kamenev: Member of the RVS of the 11th Army, Comrade Mikhailov, informed me that Comrades Stalin, Ordzhonikidze, and Kirov are insisting on the immediate issuance of a political directive to the 11th Army to concentrate its forces in the Kazakh region for a possible advance on Erivan. They justify the urgency of this consolidation by the Turkish capture of Alexandropol. The Army’s order for concentration must be issued no later than tomorrow morning, November 11. Awaiting response at the apparatus.

RGVA, f. 6, op. 10, d. 303, l. 282.

📻 Radiogram from G. Chicherin to L. Krasin

On the Critical Situation in Armenia and the RSFSR’s Proposed Mediation Regarding Disputed Territories of Karabakh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan Moscow–London, November 11, 1920

Soviet Russia has proposed mediation between Turkey and Armenia. Following recent successes by Turkish nationalists, Armenia’s situation is extremely critical, making Russian mediation timely. Soviet Russia has never intended to annex Nakhichevan, Julfa, Zangezur, or Karabakh. The Russian army occupied these disputed territories pending resolution of their status between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Each of these states claims rights to these areas. Nakhichevan is predominantly Muslim, while Zangezur has a mixed population, further complicating the issue.

Chicherin CGIA of Armenia, f. 200, op. 1, d. 597, l. 142. Certified copy. Typescript. Published in: Vestnik Arkhivov Armenii, 1967, No. 3, Doc. No. 41, p. 76; 1989, No. 1, p. 123.

📝 Telegram from I. Stalin to V. Lenin

On the Necessity of Sovietizing Armenia and Creating a Buffer Between Turkey and Azerbaijan Vladikavkaz, November 16, 1920

[Excerpt] Second aspect: the threat from Turkey. If Turkey consolidates its position in Armenia and gains a direct border with Azerbaijan, this poses a serious danger. To prevent this, we must take advantage of the current situation to Sovietize Armenia and insert a Soviet Armenian wedge between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

RGASPI, f. 558, op. 1, d. 1999, l. 3. Telegraph form. Original.

📡 Radiogram from I. Stalin via Direct Line to V. Lenin

On Expansionist Intentions of the Kemalists, Azerbaijan, and Georgia Toward Armenia, Their Potential Alliance with the Entente, and the Need to Block Turkish Access to Azerbaijan November 23, 1920

[Excerpt] First. Information from Mdivani in Erivan, still partially deciphered, indicates the following: Armenia’s military forces have collapsed; the Turks could occupy all of Armenia with ease. Kemal’s representative in Tiflis, Kazimbey, is behaving suspiciously. Mdivani believes the occupation of Armenia may be occurring with some degree of agreement between the Kemalists and Georgia, possibly with the knowledge or consent of the Entente.

Second. According to Ordzhonikidze, the Turks are already attempting to establish contact with discontented Azerbaijani elements, accepting petitions from them and seeking a shared border with Azerbaijan—especially dangerous at this moment.

RGASPI, f. 2, op. 1, d. 16244, l. 1–3 verso. Original. Autograph.

📻 Radiogram from RSFSR Plenipotentiary in Armenia B. Legran

To People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs G. Chicherin and Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the RCP(b) Central Committee and RVS of the Caucasian Front G. Ordzhonikidze On the Need to Suspend the Entry of the Red Army and Revolutionary Committee into Armenia Erivan, November 30, 1920

The advance of our troops and the Revolutionary Committee must be immediately suspended and postponed until December 3. Dro has undertaken obligations to ensure that by that time all necessary measures will be taken to allow our forces to enter Armenia without resistance from the government or army units. We must comply with this necessity and avoid precipitating events unnecessarily. Otherwise, our entry will appear as hostile action against Armenia in conjunction with the Turks, in which case I categorically renounce all responsibility for the course of events. Please issue immediate instructions to the Revolutionary Committee and local command to prevent any unauthorized actions. Notify me immediately upon receipt of this radiogram and the measures taken.

Legran RGASPI, f. 64, op. 1, d. 21, l. 264. Copy.

📝 Telegram from I. Stalin to RSFSR Plenipotentiary in Angora P. Mdivani

On Using the Territorial Dispute with Soviet Azerbaijan to Justify RSFSR Mediation Between Turkey and Armenia Transmitted via G. Ordzhonikidze, November 30, 1920

If rejection of mediation excludes our participation in peace negotiations between Armenia and Turkey, then both Turks and Armenians must be reminded that in such a case, the issue of Zangezur and the Nakhichevan district cannot be discussed at the Armenian-Turkish conference, as both territories are disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with which Russia is allied.

RGASPI, f. 558, op. 2, d. 82, l. 1. Original. Autograph.

📘 Annual Report of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs to the Eighth Congress of Soviets

On the Causes of the War Between Bolshevik Russia and Soviet Azerbaijan Against Armenia and the Unratified Peace Agreements December 22–29, 1920

[Excerpt] One of the most contentious issues in the Caucasus is the delineation of borders between the national republics. Since Azerbaijan became a Soviet Republic and a vanguard of the workers’ and peasants’ regime in the East, its previous border disputes with neighboring republics have been further complicated by ideological differences. Relations between Azerbaijan and Dashnak Armenia became even more strained. In Zangezur, Karabakh, the Nakhichevan district, and the Sharur-Daralagiaz region, the national struggle between Armenians and Muslims was exacerbated by the global conflict between Entente imperialism—represented by the Dashnaks—and the Soviet world, whose vanguard was Azerbaijan. In the interest of peace, the Soviet government decided to occupy the disputed zone between Armenia and Azerbaijan with its own forces. This led to clashes between Red Army units and Dashnak detachments, as well as attempts by the Dashnaks to organize uprisings in Armenian-populated areas behind Red Army lines. This armed conflict ended with a preliminary peace agreement signed on August 10 by our plenipotentiary Legran in Erivan. According to the October 28 treaty, Armenia renounced its claims to Karabakh but received Zangezur and Nakhichevan.

Annual Report of the NKID to the VIII Congress of Soviets (1919–1920). Moscow, 1921. Manuscript; USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Documents of Soviet Foreign Policy, Vol. II, Moscow: Gospolitizdat, 1958. 577

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

Artatsolum

Read Also:

You might also like:

The Question of Armenia’s Borders at the First (Preliminary) Conference of the Allied Powers in London

The Question of Armenia’s Borders at the First (Preliminary) Conference of the Allied Powers in London

THE ATTITUDE OF THE ALLIED HIGH COMMISSIONER IN ARMENIA, COLONEL GASKELL, TOWARDS THE ARBITRARILY ESTABLISHED BORDERS OF THE TRANSCAUCASIAN STATES

THE ATTITUDE OF THE ALLIED HIGH COMMISSIONER IN ARMENIA, COLONEL GASKELL, TOWARDS THE ARBITRARILY ESTABLISHED BORDERS OF THE TRANSCAUCASIAN STATES

Territorial Dispute Between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Paris Peace Conference and in the League of Nations

Territorial Dispute Between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Paris Peace Conference and in the League of Nations

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *