Bolsheviks Sacrificed Part of Armenia for Baku Sake in 1921
The initial draft of Moscow Treaty provided for far less concessions to Turkey in the segment of Armenia, specialist on Turkic peoples, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University Professor Mikhail Mayer stated in an interview with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, People's Commissar on Foreign Affairs of Soviet Russia Georgi Chicherin proposed to leave the territory of Western Armenia, including Mush and Kars, to Armenia.
«However, the oil factor interfered with the matter. Bolsheviks resorted to everything to keep the Baku-Astrakhan crossing. The union with Kemalist Turkey against Western-leaning Armenia was favorable both to Bolsheviks and Turks, who got huge arms and gold. Unfortunately, Armenia became a change card in a big oil game. Bolsheviks were guided by the principle: anything can be sacrificed for Baku's sake,» Mayer underscored.
The Russian specialist on Turkic peoples remarked that the genuine date of singing the Moscow Treaty is not 16, but 18 March. «Just on March 18 the parties arrived at a final wording of the Treaty items, according to which most of Armenia was cut off,» he said.
«However, the oil factor interfered with the matter. Bolsheviks resorted to everything to keep the Baku-Astrakhan crossing. The union with Kemalist Turkey against Western-leaning Armenia was favorable both to Bolsheviks and Turks, who got huge arms and gold. Unfortunately, Armenia became a change card in a big oil game. Bolsheviks were guided by the principle: anything can be sacrificed for Baku's sake,» Mayer underscored.
The Russian specialist on Turkic peoples remarked that the genuine date of singing the Moscow Treaty is not 16, but 18 March. «Just on March 18 the parties arrived at a final wording of the Treaty items, according to which most of Armenia was cut off,» he said.
