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| Type | Peace treaty |
|---|---|
| Signed | 4 June 1918 |
| Location | Batumi,Georgia |
| Condition | Ratification |
| Signatories | |
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TheTreaty of Batum was signed inBatumi on 4 June 1918, between theOttoman Empire and the three Transcaucasian states: theFirst Republic of Armenia, theAzerbaijan Democratic Republic and theDemocratic Republic of Georgia.[1][2] It was the first treaty of the First Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and had 14 articles.
On 5 December 1917, thearmistice of Erzincan was signed between the Russians and the Ottomans, ending the armed conflicts between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in thePersian Campaign andCaucasus Campaign of theMiddle Eastern theatre of World War I.[3] This was followed by Russia's exit fromWorld War I on 3 March 1918 under theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk. Between 14 March and April 1918, theTrabzon peace conference was held between the Ottoman Empire and the delegation of theTranscaucasian Sejm.
Enver Pasha offered to surrender all ambitions in the Caucasus in return for recognition of the Ottoman reacquisition of the east Anatolian provinces at Brest-Litovsk at the end of the negotiations.[4] On 5 April, the head of the Transcaucasian delegationAkaki Chkhenkeli accepted theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk as a basis for more negotiations and wired the governing bodies[who?] urging them to accept that position.[5] The mood prevailing in Tiflis was very different. The Armenians pressured theCommissariat to refuse and acknowledged the existence of a state of war between themselves and the Ottoman Empire.[5] Hostilities resumed, and the Ottoman troops overran new lands to the east, reaching the prewar borders. Approximately 40,000 civilians perished during the retreat of Armenian-Georgian volunteers and the Ottoman advance.[6] According toClarence Ussher, an American doctor in eastern Anatolia, the number of Armenians killed during the Russian retreat numbered 7,000.[7]
On 11 May, a new peace conference opened atBatum.[4] the Ottomans extended their demands to includeTiflis as well asAlexandropol andEchmiadzin; they also wanted a railroad to be built to connectKars andJulfa withBaku. The new Armenian state, through which the transport corridor would run, was to give free right of passage. The Armenian and Georgian members of the Republic’s delegation began to stall. Beginning on 21 May, the Ottoman army moved ahead once again into areas of Russian Armenia, leading to theBattle of Sardarapat (21–29 May), theBattle of Karakilisa (24–28 May), and theBattle of Bash Abaran (21–24 May).
The treaty was signed while theThird Army of the Ottoman Empire held positions 7 km fromYerevan and only 10 km fromEchmiadzin. The treaty needed to be examined and confirmed by theCentral Powers. Fifteen days after the treaty, delegates fromArmenia were asked to come toConstantinople. In the surrendered territories the majority of the 1,250,000 pre-war inhabitants had beenArmenians, with more than 400,000 in the ceded sector ofYerevan province alone.[8]
Ottoman side:
Armenian side:
Azerbaijani side:
Georgian side:
| Area | Territory occupied | Armenians | Azerbaijanis | Georgians | Russians |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiflis Governorate | |||||
| ↳Akhalkalaki uezd | 1,150 mi2 (3,000 km2) | 64,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| ↳Akhaltsikhe uezd | 1,100 mi2 (2,800 km2) | 27,000 | 18,000 | 25,000 | 540 |
| Erivan Governorate | |||||
| ↳Alexandropol uezd | 750 mi2 (1,900 km2) | 173,000 | 3,000 | 420 | 2,000 |
| ↳Nakhichevan uezd | 1,500 mi2 (3,900 km2) | ||||
| ↳Surmalu uezd | 1,400 mi2 (3,600 km2) | 30,000 | 66,000 | ||
| ↳Sharur-Daralayaz uezd | 600 mi2 (1,600 km2) | 500 | 12,000 | 60 | |
| ↳Erivan uezd | 700 mi2 (1,800 km2) | 30,000 | 48,000 | 1,000 | |
| ↳Etchmiadzin uezd | 900 mi2 (2,300 km2) | 76,000 | 42,000 | 400 | |
| Treaty of Batum | 8,100 mi2 (21,000 km2) | 400,500 | 197,000 | 33,420 | 12,000 |
| Nation | Area (sq mi) | Share of Transcaucasia | Armenians | Azerbaijanis | Georgians | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armenia | 4,000 | 8% | 470,000 | 168,000 | 41,000 | |
 Georgia | 29,000 | 41% | 535,000 | 200,000 | 1,607,000 | 510,000 |
 Azerbaijan | 36,000 | 51% | 653,000 | 2,138,900 | 304,000 |
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