POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA: M.KH.TEKİNSKY'S ACTIVITY

The government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920) established permanent missions in order to regulate relations with other states and protect the rights and interests of Azerbaijanis residing in those countries. One of these ambassadors was appointed to the state where the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic experienced the most problems (conflicts between peoples, territorial disputes) - the first Republic of Armenia. The activities of the first ambassador appointed to the Republic of Armenia, Mammad Khan Tekinsky, were of political and diplomatic importance for the Azerbaijani government. Although M.Kh. Tekinsky tried to establish good-neighborly relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the first months of his appointment as ambassador (March-April), subsequently ensuring peaceful relations was impossible due to territorial disputes and the aggressive attitude of Armenians towards the Azerbaijani population. This article examines M.Kh. Tekinsky's activities in Armenia comprehensively based on sources and existing scientific literature, systematizes the results, and determines that the ambassador's activities focused on both at protecting the rights and interests of Azerbaijanis remaining within the borders of Armenia and at preventing the military-political processes occuring in the surrounding territories from being directed against Azerbaijan. During his activity as ambassador in Armenia, Tekinski negotiated with the Armenian government, in agreement with the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, to resolve the problems of the Azerbaijani population suffering from armed attacks and repression, and was able to mediate in the rescue of a certain part of the population from oppression and their relocation to secure areas, as well as providing financial assistance to the people in need. As a result of Tekinsky's activities to prevent military intervention by Armenia in regions that Azerbaijan Democratic Republic considers own historical territory, defensive measures were implemented in areas such as Nakhchivan and Karabakh, and the Azerbaijani government was informed about the position and movements of the British and American missions in the region.