On 22 August 1919, the local authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh signed a provisional agreement with the authorities of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, thereby effecting the former's subjugation pending the outcome the Paris Peace Conference.

The agreement's terms were repeatedly violated by Azerbaijan, leading to protests by local Armenian leaders and the neighbouring First Republic of Armenia. During the region's inclusion in Azerbaijan, the latter attempted to conquer the locally-controlled Zangezur district

As the Paris Peace Conference was inconclusive regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the governor-general of Karabakh, Khosrov bey Sultanov, demanded the Armenians' permanent subjugation into Azerbaijan – the pressures exerted by Sultanov led to the agreement being overturned by local authorities during a rebellion in March 1920.

Background edit

After attaining independence from Russia in 1918, the newly established republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a two-year war over their territorial ambitions.[1] Nagorno-Karabakh, similarly to Zangezur, was self-governed by its Armenian population since the collapse of Russian authority, however, its key city of Shusha was occupied by Azerbaijani–Ottoman forces in late 1918.[2] In the wake of the Ottoman withdrawal from the South Caucasus, British forces under the command of General Thomson supplanted the Ottoman garrison in the region, and in temporarily assigning Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan helped subjugate the local Armenian council to assent to Azerbaijani authority, pending the result of the Paris Peace Conference.[3][4] In March 1920, the local Armenians rebelled with the support of the Armenian government in Yerevan, leading to the destruction of the Armenian quarter of Shusha—by April, Armenian forces were in control of the countryside, though were eventually ousted from the region by the Red Army.[5] In 1921, the region was set to become an autonomy within Soviet Azerbaijan.[6]

Terms edit

The agreement was signed by …

On 22 August 1919, the 7th Congress of Armenians of Karabakh agreed to the following terms imposed on them by Sultanov:[7]

  1. The parties accept this temporary agreement until the resolution of the [Karabakh] issue at the Peace Conference, the decision of which is uniformly binding on both parties.
  2. The mountainous part of Karabakh – Shusha, Jevanshir and Jebrail districts (Dizak, Varanda, Khachen and Jraberd), which is populated by Armenians – temporarily considers itself within the borders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
  3. The districts of Shusha, Jevanshir, and Jebrail remain a special administrative unit within the governor-generalship of Karabakh, whose internal structure is such that an administration composed of Armenians is appointed in the mountainous Armenian zone, preserving the rights of their minority.
  4. Administrative officials in the mountainous part of Karabakh (Dizak, Khachen, Varanda and Jraberd) are appointed by the members of the Armenian Council [of Karabakh].
  5. A six-member council (the 'Council') is established under the governor-generalship of Karabakh, composed of 3 Armenians and 3 Muslims.
  6. The Armenian members of the Council are elected by the assembly of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The assembly has the right to re-election.
  7. All principled international issues cannot be implemented without prior discussion by the Council.
  8. The Council has the right of initiative in matters of the structure and management of the governor-generalship.
  9. The Council has the right to control and monitor the administration of the governor-general, but not to interfere in the affairs of the administration.
  10. The position of civil assistant to the governor-general is established, which will be occupied by an Armenian.
  11. Two candidates for the position of civil assistant are presented to the Azerbaijani government by the Armenian Assembly, one of which is approved by it.
  12. Armenians of Karabakh shall exercise the right to cultural self-determination.
  13. The right to cultural self-determination is exercised by the Armenian National Council of Karabakh through Armenians authorised by the [Azerbaijani] government, who are elected at regularly convened congresses of Armenians of Karabakh. The Assembly is convened by the National Council [of Karabakh].
  14. The Azerbaijani government oversees the activities of the Armenian National Council through authorised Armenians.
  15. [Azerbaijani] Troops are stationed in Khankendi and Shusha with peacetime strength.
  16. In the mountainous part of Karabakh, in Shusha, Jevanshir and Jebrail districts, which are inhabited by Armenians, any movement of military units can be authorised with the consent of two-thirds of the members of the Council.
  17. No one can be prosecuted either judicially or administratively for their political beliefs.
  18. All Armenians who were forced to leave for political reasons have the right to return to [Karabakh].
  19. The disarmament of the Armenian and Muslim population in Karabakh is suspended until the resolution of the Karabakh issue at the Peace Conference.
  20. The Azerbaijani government provides material and moral support to the population of Karabakh in the early restoration of destroyed Muslim and Armenian villages.
  21. Armenian–Muslim general and local congresses are regularly convened by the Council for the best regulation of inter-ethnic relations.
  22. Full freedom of associations, speech and press are established; considering the military situation, the convening of meetings throughout Azerbaijan is decided by the administration.
  23. Every offence committed by individuals or officials are prosecuted through the courts, except for those criminal acts that are excluded from general prosecution by the 1919 Decree of the State Defence Committee of Azerbaijan. by the binding decision of June 11.
  24. To date, no one has been prosecuted for participating in the inter-ethnic clashes.
  25. This agreement enters into force from the moment of acceptance by the 7th Assembly of Armenians of Karabakh.
  26. This agreement shall remain in force in all circumstances including siege, military action, etc.

Violations of the agreement edit

Sultanov circumvented the term barring disarmament by buying weapons in exchange for food…

References edit

Bibliography edit

  • Broers, Laurence (2019). Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a Rivalry. Edinburgh, UK. ISBN 978-1-4744-5054-6. OCLC 1127546732.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • de Waal, Thomas (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0814719459.
  • Saparov, Arsène (2014). From conflict to autonomy in the Caucasus: the Soviet Union and the making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh. ISBN 978-1-317-63783-7. OCLC 1124532887.

Category:Treaties concluded in 1919 Category:Treaties of Azerbaijan Category:Ceasefires Category:Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920) Category:1919 in Azerbaijan