The Republic of Armenia and A. Denikin’s Volunteer Army in the Context of Ethnic-Political Developments in Transcaucasia

This article examines the situation in which the Republic of Armenia found itself in 1919 in connection with a series of ethno-political events that took place in Transcaucasia. In 1919, the diplomatic situation surrounding the Azerbaijani-Georgian defensive military-political alliance of June 16 became increasingly intense. Azerbaijan and Georgia exerted significant open pressure on the government of the Republic of Armenia, forcing it to join the alliance against A. Denikin’s Volunteer Army. The position of White Russia contributed to a certain extent to the stabilisation of the Republic of Armenia’s precarious position. The Georgian-Azerbaijani military-defensive treaty of June 16, 1919, was directed precisely against Denikin and his ally, the Republic of Armenia. Armenia was hesitant to join the Georgian-Azerbaijani alliance, fearing complete isolation in the region. However, the Armenian government and the diplomatic institutions representing its interests in Tiflis and Baku did not yield to the pressure. As a result, Armenia prudently avoided joining the Georgian-Azerbaijani military-political defence alliance, which was not in its best interest. Even in this situation, however, the primary tasks were to maintain friendly relations with neighbours, in particular with the Republic of Georgia, to resolve the differences that had arisen during the Georgian-Armenian conflict of December 1918, and to resolve disputed issues of territorial demarcation with neighbours, despite the Georgian-Azerbaijani military-defence agreement.