Treaty of Alexandropol / Gyumri (1920)

TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA Gümrü (Alexandropol), 2 December 1920 The Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, on the one hand, and the Republic of Armenia, on the other, with the purpose of ending the state of war between them and establishing a lasting peace, appointed the following authorised representatives to hold negotiations: For the Government of Turkey: Lieutenant General Kâzım Kara Bekir Pasha, Commander of the Eastern Front; Hamid Bey, Governor of Erzurum; and Süleyman Necati Bey, Deputy for Erzurum. For the Republic of Armenia: Mr Aleksander Hatisiyan, former Prime Minister; Mr Avram Gülhandaniyan, former Minister of Finance; and Mr İstepan Gorganiyan, Deputy Minister of the Interior. The aforementioned authorised representatives, having assembled at Gümrü for peace negotiations and exchanged their credentials, which were found to be in due form, agreed upon the following articles:

The state of war between Turkey and Armenia has ended.

The frontier between Turkey and Armenia consists of the line shown on the accompanying sketch: beginning at the mouth of the Lower Karasu, the River Aras, the Arpachay as far as north of Kekach, then the Karahan stream, west of Tighnis, east of Büyük Kimli, Kızıltaş and Mount Büyük Akbaba. The precise determination of the frontier line shall be carried out on the spot by a mixed commission two weeks after the date of signature of this treaty. In the region of Nakhchivan, Shahtakhti and Sharur, south of the line passing through Mount Kuki 10282–8022, Mount Gamasur 8160, the village of Kurdkulak, Mount Saat 7868, the Arpachay houses 3080, Mount Kemurlu 6930, Saraybulak 8071, Ararat station and the mouth of the Lower Karasu on the River Aras, Armenia shall not interfere with the form of administration to be determined later by a plebiscite or with the territory covered by that administration. A local administration under the protection of Turkey shall for the time being be established in this region.

With regard to the legal status of the lands lying between the frontier mentioned in Article 2 and the Ottoman frontier, which are to remain in Turkey under this treaty and with which Turkey’s historical, ethnic and legal relationship cannot be denied, the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey agrees, if the Republic of Armenia so wishes, to have recourse to a plebiscite after three years have elapsed from ratification of the treaty, in order to allow the entire original population to return. A subcommission shall determine the procedure.

As evidence of its goodwill to prevent any further situations and acts disturbing order and security as a result of the instigation and encouragement of the imperialist states, the Republic of Erivan (Armenia) undertakes not to permit any military establishment exceeding a lightly armed gendarmerie sufficient to maintain internal security and a paid force of 1,500 soldiers, with eight mountain or field guns and twenty machine guns, assigned to the defence of the country. There shall be no compulsory military service in Armenia. The Republic of Armenia is free to construct fortifications for the defence of the country against external enemies and to place in them as many heavy guns as it wishes. Among these heavy guns, weapons usable in a mobile army shall not include 15-centimetre howitzers,15-centimetre long-barrelled guns or heavy firearms of any kind of a smaller calibre.

By this treaty, the Government of Erivan agrees to permit Turkey’s political representative or ambassador, who shall take up residence at Erivan after peace is concluded, to carry out inspections and investigations at any time concerning the matters mentioned above. In return, the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey undertakes to provide armed assistance to Armenia if the Republic of Armenia requests it.

The Contracting Parties permit migrants to return to their homes within the former frontiers, except those who during the Great War joined enemy armies and used arms against their own state, or participated in massacres in occupied territories. They mutually undertake that those returning to their country shall fully enjoy the rights enjoyed by minorities in the most civilised countries.

Migrants mentioned in Article 6 who do not return to their homes within one year from the date of ratification of this treaty and exchange of the instruments of ratification shall neither benefit from that article nor have valid claims concerning their property rights.

Although the army that the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has been obliged to keep under arms for two years has required great expenditure, that Government, wishing to comply with the humanitarian and legal principles it has adopted and proclaimed, has renounced the compensation to which it is entitled on account of the war it was compelled to undertake against Armenia. The Parties are also released from compensation arising from damage and changes in property rights during the Great War.

The Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey undertakes sincerely to assist the Republic of Erivan in fully developing and strengthening its sovereignty within the frontier defined in Article 2.

The Government of Erivan declares that, in a spirit of goodwill to remove all misunderstandings between the two countries in future, it undertakes to regard as void the Treaty of Sèvres, which has been categorically rejected by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, to withdraw it, and to recall the representative delegations in Europe and America that are instruments of provocation in the hands of certain imperialist governments and political circles. As proof of its goodwill to develop in peace and security and to respect Turkey’s rights as a neighbour, the Republic of Armenia undertakes to keep out of government ambitious, warlike persons who pursue imperialist aims and endanger the peace and security of the two nations.

To protect the rights of the Muslim population living in the Republic of Armenia and to ensure their development in accordance with their religious and cultural characteristics, the Republic accepts and undertakes to allow their communal organisation, the direct election of muftis by the Muslim community, and confirmation by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey of the official appointment of the Chief Mufti elected by the local muftis.

Each Contracting Party undertakes not to obstruct in any way the free passage of persons and goods belonging to the other Party over its railways and all its transport routes generally, or that Party’s transit to the sea or to any country. The Government of Turkey guarantees freedom of transit between Iran, Maktu and Armenia by way of Sharur, Nakhchivan, Shahtakhti and Gulfa. The Government of Armenia undertakes not to levy taxes on goods, vehicles, railway wagons or any transit operations between Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia and Turkey. Since the Turkish State is compelled to resist destructive provocations that the imperialists are fully expected to direct against its existence and life, it shall, until a general peace is achieved and without impairing freedom of communication, keep the railways and transport routes within the Republic of Erivan under inspection and supervision in order to prevent the introduction of arms exceeding the number mentioned in Article 4. The Parties shall prevent unofficial missions connected with imperialist states from entering or infiltrating this country.

The Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey may temporarily take military measures within Armenia against attacks that may threaten the independence and territorial integrity of the State, provided that the rights granted to the Republic of Erivan by this treaty are not impaired.

The Republic of Erivan accepts and undertakes to treat as invalid the provisions of all treaties it has concluded with any state insofar as they concern Turkey or are harmful to Turkey’s interests.

Commercial relations between the Contracting Parties shall begin after signature of the treaty, and the Parties may appoint ambassadors and consuls.

Arrangements concerning telegraphs, posts, telephones, consular matters and commerce shall be made by subcommissions in accordance with the provisions of this treaty. Nevertheless, the Government of Turkey shall permit railway, telegraphic and postal communications between Armenia and the neighbouring country and occupied territories to begin immediately upon signature of this treaty.

The evacuation of territories belonging to Armenia under this treaty but occupied by the Turkish army, and the return and exchange of prisoners, shall take place after fulfilment of the obligations incumbent on the Government of Armenia under the treaty. Detained civilians and state dignitaries shall be returned. The return of detainees shall be carried out by the subcommission.

The present treaty shall be ratified within one month, and ratified copies shall be exchanged at Ankara.

In faith of these provisions, the authorised representatives named above signed the present Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The treaty was drawn up in two copies at Gümrü (Alexandropol) on 2 December 1920. In case of disagreement, settlement shall be made by reference to the Turkish text. Kazım Karabekir — Aleksander Hatisyan Hâmid — Avram Gülhandaniyan Süleyman Necati — İstepan Gordaniyan