Agreement on the Transfer of Armenian Lands to Turkey Without the Consent of Armenia – 1921

Yet another testimony to the efforts made by Russia to please Turkey back in 1921. Russia has acted against Armenia back then and acts in the same way now.

The principle of the refusal of compulsion as the foundation of the agreement between Russia and Turkey, which implies the transfer of the territory of Armenia in favor of Turkey and Azerbaijan in violation of the same principle and without the consent of Armenia

March 16, 1921

The government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, sharing the principles of the fellowship of nations and the right of peoples to self-determination, marking the existing solidarity between them in the struggle against imperialism as well as the fact that any complications arising for one of the peoples worsen the condition of the other, and entirely encouraged by the desire to establish between them continuous warm relationships and inseparable sincere friendship based on the mutual interest of the both parties, decided to enter into an agreement on friendship and fellowship and thus appointed their representatives:

The government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic:

Georgy Chicherin, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs and a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and Djemal ed-Din Korkmasov, a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and

The government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey:

Yusuf Kemal-bey, People’s Commissar for the People’s Economy of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, member of parliament Kastamoni from the same Assembly, Doctor Riz Nur-bey, People’s Commissar for the Enlightenment of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, member of parliament Sinop from the same Assembly, and Ali Fuad-pasha, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, a member at the Grand National Assembly on behalf of Angora,

Who, after the exchange of authority found in proper and lawful form, agreed on the following:

Article I

Each of the parties to the agreement complies with the principle not to accept any peace treaties and other international acts, to the acceptance of which the other party to the agreement may be forced. The government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic agrees to not accept any international acts in regard to Turkey that are not accepted by the National Assembly of Turkey, which is now represented by the Grand National Assembly.

Under the term “Turkey” in the following agreement are implied the territories included into the National Turkish Pact from January 28, 1920 (1336), which was developed and proclaimed by the Ottoman Chamber of Deputies in Constantinople and announced to the media and all governments.

The northeastern border of Turkey is defined: by the line, which, beginning near the village of Sarp located on the shore of the Black Sea, passes through the Mount Khedismta, the line of the watershed of Mounts Shavshet and Kanna-dag, and then passes along the northern administrative border of the Ardahan and Kars Sanjaks, along the thalweg of the Arpaçay and Arake Rivers towards the estuary of Lower Karasu (the detailed description of the border and questions in its regard are defined in appendixes I(A) and I(B) and the enclosed map signed by both parties to the agreement). <…>

Article III

Both parties to the agreement accept that the Nakhichevan province within the borders indicated in appendix I (C) of the present Agreement forms the autonomous territory under the protectorate of Azerbaijan on the condition that Azerbaijan doesn’t concede the protectorate to a third state. <…>

Article XV

Russia commits to undertake steps in relation to Transcaucasian Republics, which are necessary for the obligatory admission by those Republics of the articles of the present Agreement concerning them by entering agreements with Turkey. <…>

Source (Russian): Нагорный Карабах 2 тома Ю.Г. Барсегов, Document 664, page 620