SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI AND BATUMI REGION IN THE “KARS GOVERNMENT’S PLANS”
Abstract
The states involved in World War I had their own interests. Of course, the Ottoman state was no exception, one of whose main goals was to return the territories lost as a result of the Russo-Turkish war of 1977-1978. As a result of the February Revolution and then the Bolshevik coup in Russia, the leaders of the Ottoman state had a chance to achieve their goals. The temporary armistice of Erzincan, signed on December 5 (18), 1917, allowed the Ottomans to focus more on the progress of the negotiations in Brest-Litovsk. Where, on December 2 (15), a temporary armistice had already been signed between the representatives of the Central Powers and Soviet Russia. The terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 3 (AD) opened up a wide area of operation for the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus, which was clearly evident at the Trabzon and Batumi conferences. As a result of the Treaty of Batumi on June 4, 1918, the Ottoman Empire ceded the Batumi and Kars regions, the Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe districts, the Surmene district, three-quarters of the Alexandropol and Echmiadzin districts, one-fifth of the Sharur-Daralagez district, and others. The Ottoman Empire held a referendum in the regions of Kars, Batumi, and Ardahan, the results of which were presented by a delegation from the three sanjaks to the Sultan Mehmed VI Vahdeddin and demanded the annexation of these territories to the Ottoman Empire. This request was granted by the Sultan. Regarding which, an official rescript of the Fadishah was issued. The Georgian government protested the referendum and officially appealed to the Ottoman army command. However, their protest was ignored.
This situation did not last long. The Ottoman government, defeated in the war, was forced to abandon the occupied regions of Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki, along with the Batumi, Kars, and Ardahan regions, and withdraw its troops beyond the 1914 Russian-Turkish border.
Given the current situation, the Ottoman military leadership of the Caucasus Front attempted to maintain its influence over the evacuated territories. He supported the creation of pro-Ottoman local "governments" in the aforementioned territories, inhabited by Christians and Muslims. Which resulted in the creation of the "South-West Caucasus Republic", Which included the Batumi region, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki regions from the territories of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The situation that arose led to an armed confrontation between the military units of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the unrecognized Southwestern Caucasus Republic. The Democratic Republic of Armenia had a more intense military confrontation with the Southwestern Caucasus Republic. The British, whose mandate extended to the Caucasus, even organized the existence of the Southwestern Caucasus Republic for a certain period of time. Ultimately, the idea of supporting Armenia and a united Russia prevailed in the ruling circles of England, Which was followed by the liquidation of the Southwestern Caucasus Republic by the British.
Goal: The aim of this work is to present the political events and results achieved in the South-West Caucasus at the end of 1918 and the first quarter of 1919, based on a review, analysis and comparison of literature and sources published in various languages related to the history of the government of the South-West Caucasus Republic and its relations with the democratic government of Georgia. This will allow readers interested in the history of the region to critically assess what happened.
Keywords: Georgia; Turkiye; Samtskhe-Javakheti; Batumi region; Kars government.
