Document on the Transfer of Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan

We have said repeatedly that the policy of modern Russia doesn’t differ a bit from those of the Soviet Union or the Russian Empire, though the modern propaganda of the Russian media still tries to convince us in the opposite.

A number of documents we published and the one we will be introducing you to today are a clear testimony to that. And as it could be seen from the documents in the source, Artsakh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan became disputable territories since the times of Russian Tsar Peter I the Great.

Interestingly, well before the interference of Russia resulted in that “controversy” over the territories, those regions have been mentioned as parts and provinces of Armenia by a large number of ancient accounts.

As a result of such policy, two of the three historical regions of Armenia have been alienated: one of them was alienated to Azerbaijan, the other was partly transferred to Georgia, but the rest still remains within Armenia at the cost of the lives of Armenians. Russia has been achieving their goals through Armenia: moreover, they used a variety of renegades and simply mercenary individuals from all the levels of the Armenian society.

This still continues on today in almost the same conditions and with generally the same people. And even though Artsakh isn’t considered a disputable territory these days, one can’t expect an outcome that is different from what has happened in the past.

But given the policy carried out by the low- to mid-grade Armenian officials, Armenia could end up in the same situation quite soon. The mere mention of the recent plans of Russia to deploy military police units in Armenia is quite alarming.

But now, let’s see how Nakhichevan got alienated from Armenia to Azerbaijan, which became a point of no return even though Turkey would soon turn away from Bolsheviks towards the West.

Information of G. Chicherin in Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) on the mutual resolution of the question of Batum in favor of Georgia and of Nakhichevan in favor of Azerbaijan

March 10, 1921

On the territorial agreement with the Turkish delegation.

The Turkish delegation agrees to transfer Batum along with the territories we pointed out under the suzerainty of Georgia on the condition of a broad local administrative autonomy of the population, the acknowledgment of the right of the Muslims to their culture, religion, and land property, as well as the provision of free transit for goods and any type of item [trade] with Turkey with no taxes or fees and with the right of a fee-free use of the port.

Nakhichevan will be recognized as an autonomous territory under the suzerainty of Azerbaijan on the condition that Azerbaijan doesn’t transfer that suzerainty to another state.

All the afore-mentioned clauses are an indispensable condition of the agreement with Turkey and have thus been accepted by me.

People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Georgy Chicherin

 Source: Барсегов Ю.Г. Нагорный Карабах Document 662, page 619.