Azərbaycan Paris Sülh Konfransında (1918-1920)

HISTORY OF THE DELEGATION IN THE DOCUMENTS 
Head of the delegation Topchubashev had been consistently informing the 
government and the Parliament of Azerbaijan regarding his multifaceted activity 
initially from Istanbul then later from Rome and Paris. Regardless of the 
communication difficulties and non-consistent diplomatic mail service throughout 
March-November 1919 he had managed to send 11 comprehensive reports to the 
Council of Ministers of his country. First three reports had been sent out from 
Istanbul on March 4-5, March 17-19 and on April 18 respectively. The fourth report 
had been sent out from Rome on May 4. The fifth report had been sent out from Paris 
on May 15. The sixth report had been undated and subsequent five reports had been 
sent out from Paris as well, on June 8-10, July 8-9, September 22-25, November 6-10 
and on November 29, December 2, respectively. 
Unfortunately, only seven of these reports had been preserved in the 
archives. The second, the fourth, the fifth and the sixth reports had been lost. The 
reports that had been sent out after December 1919 had shared the same fate. Judging 
from other documents the delegation had worked intensively and productively from 
late 1919 to early 1920. Naturally information regarding the fulfilled tasks had been 
included in the dispatched reports. Nevertheless, those reports had either been 
destroyed or had been taken to Moscow. In any case it had proven to be futile to
 
search the traces of missing reports in the archives of Azerbaijan. 
The first and the last time those documents reflecting foreign policy of the 
Republic of Azerbaijan of that period had ever been published was in 1927 in the 
book of Bolshevik historian A.Rayevski entitled “Musavatskoe pravitelstvo 

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Azerbaidjanskoy Respubliki na Versalskoy Konfernsii” (Musavat government of the 
Republic of Azerbaijan at the Versal Conference) (March-December 1919). 
The author had presented the texts in the original, not without to analyzing 
them based on Bolshevik principles of historiography of his time. In other words, 
according to Rayevski's imagination the most significant documents regarding the 
history of our statehood had been nothing but intrigues of handful of Musavat party 
men intending to sell Azerbaijan to British imperialism. However, today one has to be 
grateful to Rayevski regardless of his staunch Bolshevik view. No matter how odd it 
would seem, generally, those publications of 1920-30's that had been written with the 
sole aim of distorting history of the Republic of Azerbaijan and sullying the names of 
the leaders, their objectives and ideas, nowadays contribute to objective evaluation of 
historical reality. Putting aside the ideological fashion, it is worthy to stress the 
significance of facts and sources of those publications that otherwise would have been 
inaccessible for the contemporary researcher. 
Considering that the majority of the reports regarding the delegation's 
activity had been sent from Paris, as it has already been aforementioned they had been 
accumulated and published by us in one book entitled “Paris mektublari” (Letters 
from Paris). Recalling the previous publication of another book by H.Hasanov and 
H.Pashayev entitled “Diplomaticheskiye besedi v Stambule” (Diplomatic 
conversations in Istanbul) one may refer to a quite peculiar dialog reflecting some of 
the important and interesting pages of the diplomatic history of the Republic of 
Azerbaijan. 
All the reports sent to Azerbaijani government had been written upon the 
paper form bearing official stamp “President de la delegation de paix de 
l'Azerbaidjan” (Head of peace delegation of Azerbaijan). Double digit figures on the 
front page (for example March 17-19) had indicated the dates of commencement and 
completion of report writing. Certain parts of the texts had been written in different 
handwriting, the rest had been type-machine written. Regardless of differences in 
handwriting, it had undoubtedly been a product of ideas of one person. 
Generally, Topchubashev had either written the reports personally, or the 
secretaries had put them down from his dictation. It can be asserted judging by the 
style of those reports and its aspects related to the activity of the head of delegation. 
The authorship of the documents had raised no doubts with Rayevski either. Finally, 
head of the delegation had signed every report and had sealed them with his personal 
stamp. 
The underlining of texts with red and blue pencils and various signs and 
notes on the page margins certify that those materials had been carefully evaluated by 
the country's leadership, especially by Prime Minister N.Yusifbeyli and Minister of 
Foreign Affairs M.Jafarov and had been used in foreign and domestic policy making. 
In 1919, expressing ideas of his own and those of the other members of the 
delegation Topchubashev wrote: 

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“Indeed, they do not recognize us as a state. Nevertheless, wherever we go 
we declare that we have existed as a state for over a year and a half and we are 
demonstrating Azerbaijan's capability to exist independently with its own President, 
Government, army, administrative system, courts and schools. This Azerbaijan had 
endured relentless struggle with the Bolsheviks. Therefore, Azerbaijanis are capable 
of political existence and of building their independent state. It is imperative that we 
preserve this self-affirmation to the fullest extent of our strength and beyond. We 
would like everyone, the entire nation to understand clearly that we are passing a test 
of proving our capability of independent social and political existence. 
We are convinced that we can manage it, because our people are truly 
competent and our country is endowed with natural resources. However, due to the 
absence of political institution based on moral principles, it is vital that institutions of 
young state would serve as an example for the masses that must realize the full 
seriousness of the test period we are experiencing. Figures in the leadership - these 
are the people that must demonstrate to the masses the examples of wholehearted 
service. The ultimate goal is to mobilize the people and consolidate them around the 
idea of independent existence. Because we are convinced that there isn't and there 
won't be a place for retreat in the minds of the people. Only one way lays ahead of us 
and that is the road leading to Azerbaijan's independence.” 
Topchubashev and his brothers-in-arms had been the first voyagers of that 
road. Indeed due to objective political reasons they had not attained success in their 
struggle. They had been unable to lead the people to independence that they had 
wished and had fought for. 
State independence of Azerbaijan had demised in April 1920 as a result of 
Bolshevik aggression. One of the founders of the Republic of Azerbaijan 
M.A.Rasulzade said, “A tricolor banner, an ideal symbol created from zero, has been 
replaced with red rag” (referring to flag Soviet Azerbaijan). However, as Rasulzade 
wrote, “A 100-year-lesson of dependence and 2-year-battle for liberty” had in the first 
place introduced the nation to itself, rather than to others. 
Azerbaijani delegation to the Paris Peace Conference had been the first 
landing party of the newly independent state dispatched to Europe.