THE PEACE DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN.
TENDENCIES TO POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE AND HOPES OF THE
AZERBAIJANIANS
We exposed sincerely our idea as to the usual opinions about the
Azerbaijanians, when speaking of the questions we have elucidated.
We have only one question more, which the Azerbaijanian Delegation thinks
it its duty to explain to the Peace Conference. We want to relate the peripetia which
our Delegation had to go through till our arrival in Paris, the scat of the Peace
Conference.
Our delegation arrived at Constantinople on the 20th of January of this year
and it only could embark for France on the twenty second of April. During those three
months, the Delegation endeavoured in vain to obtain the authorisation to betake itself
to Paris. From January to April, we constantly repeated our request to the political and
technical representatives of the Allied about our passport's visa but each time we
received unfavourable answers. We write this only to explain why our memorandum
has been handed so late to the Peace Conference. We nevertheless hope that the great
Powers of the Entente; as well as the Peace Conference - the only protectors of all the
small nations called to life by the noble principles of President Wilson - will deign to
study attentively the cause of Azerbaijan of the Caucasus.
We trust the Peace Conference and the League of Nations which it has
created, will not refuse their attention to the present memorandum and will recognize
as worthy of being satisfied the claims of the Azerbaijanians, who all long for a
peaceful, common life with their Caucasian neighbours, whose neutrality would he
guaranteed.
It would be the ideal of social and political life for us. The anxious longing
after that life founded on strictly democratic principles, a boundless devotion and love
to our Azerbaijan organized as a republican State, such are the sentiments which fill
the hearts and minds of the Azerbaijanians.
Those sentiments are so powerful that, in spite of their pacific characters, the
Azerbaijanians would be ready to take up arms to defend the independancc of their
country against any attempts to include Azerbaijan the new Russian State, whether it
be the Power of the Soviets or that of the Russian classes who aim at reestablishing
Russia “one and individable”.
Neither of these governments, where they covered with the flag of a
Federative Republic or that of the Constituting Assembly (in which the Russians
would have a considerable majority) could be anything else but stranger to us by a
point and of artificial construction. It would only impose upon us a political life alien
to us and create misundestandings, bearing fatal consequences, results of the anarchy
reigning at present, right and left, in the actually Russian parts of the country and will
be felt still for a long time.
Claims o f the Azerbaijanians
We trust in the moral support of de Peace Conference and of the Powers of
the Entente for the sacred work of:
1° The physical, economic and political deliverance of the Caucasus and
especially of Azerdaijan, absolutely separated from the social and political Russian
life, which is alien to us and from the anarchy, which we have just spoken of. We rely
on that support.
2° The recognition of the States, which de facto already ex ist in the Caucasus
and one of which is the independent Republic of Azerbaijan.
We dare end this Memorandum by this affirmation that the material and
moral qualities of our people, the moral gifts as precious as the love of work and
study, the fondness of legal order and loyalty to the principles of the State are already
a guarantee for the independent existence of Azerbaijan under the from oi an
independent Republic.
For these reasons, the Peace Delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan begs
to lay before the Peace Conference the following claims :
I
The Peace Conference approves of the separation of Caucasian Azerbaijan
from the late Russian Empire. Azerbaijan shall form an absolutely independant State
under the name of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, within the above described
limits, shown in the annexed map.
II
The representatives of the Peace Delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan
shall be admitted to the work of the Peace Conference and its Commission.
III
The Republic of Azerbaijan shall be admitted among the members of the
“League of Nations”, under the high protection of which this Republic wishes to be
placed like the other States.
9
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^
D AZERBAIDJAN A LA
CONFERENCE
DE PAIX A PARIS
(1919-1920)
Bakou-2008
118
LA DELEGATION DE LA REPUBLIQUE POPULAIRE D’AZERBATDJAN Ä
LA CONFERENCE DE LA PAIX Ä PARIS
L'existence et le futur de la premiere Republique democratique sur tout
l'Orient musulman fondee apres l'effondrement de l'Empire russe, a savoir la
Republique d'Azerbaıdjan, ne dependait que du choix historique du peuple, a cette
periode-la ils dependaient plus des intentions et des plans des grands Etats, de la
volonte et des idees des hommes politiques decoupant une nouvelle carte du monde.
Le peuple a dit son mot. Les citoyens de l'Azerbaıdjan ont obtenu la liberte
en se liberant de la dependance de l'empire apres les grands sacrifices et beaucoup de
martyres, et ont commence a construire un Etat independant et democratique. Mais la
non reconnaissance du choix historique du peu-pie par les pays du monde posait des
nouveaux dangers. Des le premier jour l'etat d'Azerbaıdjan est reste vis-a-vis devant le
danger de devenir la colonie de l'Empire sovietique voulant restaurer “la Russie solide
et inalienable” dans ses anciennes frontieres.
Les fondateurs de la Republique d'Azerbaıdjan voyaient clairement cette
menace. C'est pour cela qu'ils essayaient d'informer par tout les moyens les pays du
monde des serieux problemes de la jeune Republique et obtenir les assurances
politiques necessaires et les garanties de securite en etant reconnu comme un etat
independant, personne juridique du droit international.
Vu l'effondrement des Empires russe, ottoman et austro-hongrois et
l'apparition des nouveaux Etats nationaux c'etait la plus grande de la reussite en 1918,
l'annee avec un different climat politique. Ä un tel moment historique il y avait une
grande necessite dans le developpement des relations politico-diplomatiques fondees
sur les interets equilibres avec les pays du monde et premierement avec l'Europe et
dans la reconnaissance du peuple et du pays en Europe. L'Azerbaıdjan avait deja
envoye au Moyen Age les delegations diplomatiques en Europe. Mais tous ces
ambassadeurs passaient un parcours difficile et epuisant, durant des annees pour
transmettre la volonte de leurs souverains aux monarques et aux cours europeens. La
delegation envoyee a Paris a la conference de la paix de Versailles par le Parlement
de l'Azerbaıdjan, qui a commence le fonctionnement le 7 decembre 1918, avait une
mission differente de celles precedentes: exprimer la volonte du peuple, sa
determination d'obtenir l'independance, la faire reconnaıtre et accepter par le monde.
Quelques annees plus töt le grand poete azerbaidjanais du XX siecle
Mohammed Hadi ecrivait les lignes suivantes pleines du regret et du chagrin: “Mille
signatures sont apposees, mais parmi elles il n'y a pas de celle-ci de mon peuple”.
Pendant ces quelques annees, le peuple d'Azerbaıdjan qui avait beaucoup change,
s'etait developpe, qui avait profite des realites politiques existantes pour creer son Etat
national, a envoye sa delegation a Paris a la Conference de la paix de Versailles ou le
sort du nouveau inonde se decidait pour prendre une place digne dans les pages de
l'histoire et de la vie.
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