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Armeno-Georgian
War of 1918 and Armeno-Georgian Territorial
Issue in the 20th Century By Andrew Andersen and Georg Egge
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Beginning of the Armed Conflict: October Clashes On 18 October 1918, an Armenian military unit
crossed the demarcation line from the south and entered Georgian-controlled
railway station of Kober (Koberi)[1]. The German command in Tiflis that was still
performing its duties in the region demanded that the Armenians evacuate Kober immediately. However, the Armenian unit refused to
withdraw from the station. The situation was becoming increasingly
complicated largely due to the limited amount of German personnel in the
disputed area. Just like the Turks, the Germans started evacuation from the
Caucasus following the Armistice of Compiegne signed on 11 November 1918,
despite all the efforts of the Georgian government aimed at extending the
presence of German troops at least around Vorontsovka[2]. It should be also
noted here, that both German and Georgian units near the demarcation line
were quite small and were supposed to perform exclusively non-combat border
guard functions. For example, one mixed German-Georgian garrison in the
village of Karinj consisted of only 20 Georgian and
12 German soldiers under command of one officer. Other garrisons were similar
in numbers. Facing the development of confrontation Georgians and Germans
were contacting Tiflis to appeal for reinforcements[3]. In response to the calls for help, the
Georgian command sent to the conflict zone around Sanain
two armored trains and a detachment of 250 men. In
view of the significant change of the power balance, the Armenian unit
evacuated Kober by the end of October 20 leaving
posts on the heights to the west and east of the railroad. However, Georgian
ultimatum demanding immediate withdrawal of all Armenian troops operating
around Kober towards the station of Shagali to the south of the demarcation line, was rejected. Same day the government of Georgia
received a coded telegram from the government of Armenia signed by the Primier Hovhannes Kachaznuni with
the following text: To:
Minister-President Zhordania. Copy: Chargé d'affaires of Armenia in Georgia Djamalian.
The commander of Delijan detachment reported to me
that he received an ultimatum from the Georgian army demanding to leave the
station of Shagali. The Armenians received my order
not to leave the station and to start a defensive battle in the case of
Georgian offensive. In
order to avoid new disasters on behalf of the suffering people of Armenia and
Georgia, in the name of truth and justice, I ask you to refrain from
aggressive actions and to stop Georgian forces on the existing line. We will
resolve all border issues through negotiation. I remind you of your public,
solemn declaration at a meeting with participation of Ramishvili,
Aharonian and Hatisov,
that Georgia had no claim to Lore and kept it only temporarily, in order to
avoid its occupation by a third party. Waiting for your reply.
Minister-President Kachaznuni.[4] On October 23 three companies strong
Armenian forces attacked German garrison in the village of Karinj and forced the Germans to retreat. To support the
Germans, the Georgian command in Sanain sent to the
conflict area one infantry company and an armoured train. The next day, the
Georgian government declared martial law in Borchalo,
and General George Tsulukidze was appointed the
Governor of the troubled county.
Figure 2: Dislocation of Georgian and
German garrisons to the north of the demarcation line; replacement of Turkish
garrisons with Armenian ones; first armed clashes (October, 1918) Explanation:
On October 25-27, fighting continued around
the village Karindzh which changed hands several
times. The sudden appearance of Georgian armoured train critically changed
the military situation in Georgian favour, and on October 26 the Georgian
government received a telegram sent from Erevan on behalf of the Armenian
Prime Minister Hovhannes Kachaznuni.
The telegram confirmed the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Tsater and Karinj, and the
recent capture of the two above villages was described as a misunderstanding.
The telegram also contained a proposal to convene a conference to resolve the
border issue. On October 27 all the hostilities between the Armenians and
Georgians have been temporarily suspended.
German and Georgian officers near the demarcation line
in Borchalo According to Georgian researcher Archil Chachkhiani, the October incident was provoked by the
Armenian government with the intention to demonstrate loyalty to the Entente
at the eve of the surrender of the Central powers by launching combat
operations against “pro-German” Georgia, as well as against the German troops
stationed on Georgian territory[5]. As it will be
noted below, the second phase of the war - in December 1918 - began
immediately after British landing in Baku, and that may not be a coincidence. On the other hand, Professor Richard G.
Hovannisian assumes that the October incident was just a probe of Georgian
defence in an attempt to explore the chances for a successful annexation of
the disputed counties by military force.[6] Finally, one should also mention here the
role of Turkey in the outbreak of the Armeno-Georgian
conflict. It was as early as October 5th as the Ottoman Empire was just
getting ready to surrender and evacuate her troops from the Caucasus when
Turkish General Khalil Pasha a few officers to
arrange for the transfer to Armenia not only the Turkish-occupied part of the
Echmiadzin County (Bambak)
but also the buffer zone in Lori to the south of Kamenka[7]. At the very same
time Abdul-Kerim Pasha, Turkish representative in
Georgia, made a similar proposal to the Georgians [8]. Three days after the end of the first round
of hostilities in the Lori, Ottoman Turkey capitulated and signed the
Armistice of Mudros. Over the next eleven days
Austro-Hungary and Germany surrendered as well thus putting the First World
War to an end. By agreement between the Entente powers the South Caucasus
fell into the British sphere of influence.
Sir William Montgomerie
Thomson In early November 1918, the Commander-in Chief
of the British Expeditionary Force in Persia, Major-General Sir William Montgomerie Thomson, who was at that moment in the
Iranian port of Anzali on the Caspian Sea preparing
for the expedition to the Caucasus, made a series of well-known
proclamations, which inter alia contained the following political
instructions:
On November 17 the first British
expeditionary force arrived in Baku, and on December 15 followed the
occupation of the port of Batum with the territory
around it. British commanders in the Eastern Mediterranean also reserved the
right to send troops to other strategically important cities of the Caucasus
and to have their garrisons there. This dramatic change in the military and
political situation in the region was met with restraint by Azerbaijan and
the Mountain Republic (North Caucasus) and with cautious optimism by Georgia.
In Armenia, the arrival of the British led to a surge of optimism if not euphory accompanied by the new hopes for a "bright
future" that had been multiple times promised the Armenian people by
various representatives of the Entente during the Great War[11]. |
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