Azərbaycan Paris Sülh Konfransında (1918-1920)

THE BIGGEST MERIT - RECOGNITION OF AZERBAIJAN! 
The delegation had achieved the ultimate goal - to convey the will of the 
Azerbaijani people and the fact of country's very existence to the attention of the 
world. The Bolsheviks who had occupied the country and had annexed it to Russia, 
had had to concede this reality. Oil thirsty Bolsheviks had refused the mere idea of 
existence of Azerbaijani state as owner of its natural recourses and lands. Two years 
before the de-facto recognition of Azerbaijan at the Peace Conference, Stepan 

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Shaumyan, Lenin's deputy in the Caucasus and one of the organizers of bloody mas-
sacre in Baku in March 1918, had insolently called the establishment of such a state a 
“chimera of local nationalists” and had declared inconceivability of aspirations “of 
those who wish to turn Baku into the capital of Azerbaijani khanate”. 
However, the 23-month existence of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the 
conducting of successful domestic and foreign policy had curbed the radicalism prone 
Bolsheviks' appetite to completely ignore the de-facto existing state and to once again 
split up Azerbaijan into provinces and districts. Should the Republic of Azerbaijan 
have been unable to achieve its partial recognition by the international community in 
1918-1920's, the establishment of Socialist Azerbaijan would be questionable. 
Azerbaijan SSR was in reality a successor of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. 
The Bolsheviks who had violently seized political power in Azerbaijan should have 
been grateful to their ideological adversaries. 
Certainly, it had been impossible to establish Soviet Azerbaijan within the 
borders of
 
1918-1920's. Historical territories either controlled by the national 
government or that were pending the settlement at the Peace Conference, due to their 
disputed nature had been given to other “fraternal Soviet republics” based on 
voluntarist decrees of the Bolshevik leadership. Policy of terror had been commenced 
against the staff and high-ranking officers of
 
the National Army of Azerbaijan. The 
activity of
 
the fledgling democratic institutions had been ceased. National symbols of 
the Republic of Azerbaijan - tricolor banner and national anthem had been outlawed. 
Persecution had started against the high-ranking officials of the national government 
and political party activists. Nevertheless, regardless of all repressive measures that 
had commenced in April 1920 and had lasted for over 70 years the Bolsheviks had 
failed to erase the idea of Azerbaijan's state independence from hearts and minds of 
Azerbaijanis. 
Bringing the idea of Azerbaijan's statehood into agenda and achievement of 
its at least de-facto recognition had been an arduous task. The threat had been exerted 
not just by Russia that had never concealed its neo imperialist ambitions. Serious 
problems had existed with other neighboring countries. At the time Armenia was 
explicitly claiming some historical Azerbaijani territories and benefiting from the 
perplexity of the situation was conducting brutal ethnic cleansing throughout those 
territories. Although relations with Georgia were relatively normal, certain 
outstanding problems of disputed territories had existed. Finally, Iran claiming 
historical Azerbaijan of being one of its provinces had opposed the newly established 
state of South Caucasus to bear the name of Azerbaijan. For this very reason 
delegation of Azerbaijan had to indicate the name of their country as “Caucasian 
Azerbaijan” within the correspondence with the Peace Conference, as well as in 
published books, articles, etc. 
For historical justice it's worthy to stress that the Ottoman Empire, living its 
last days, had been the sole power that had granted military, political and legal 

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support to Azerbaijan, had played significant role in liberating the natural and 
historical capital - Baku from Dashnaks and Bolsheviks and ultimately had prevented 
the genocide of Azerbaijanis perpetrated by the Armenians. Delegation had highly 
appreciated the noble mission of the Ottoman Empire and brotherly Turkish people 
and without fearing the accusations of pan-Turkism and pan-Islamism had 
acknowledged the assistance in their “Claims”. 
Presented to specialists and wide reader audience the book “Claims of the 
delegation of the Republic of Caucasian Azerbaijan to the Paris Peace Conference” 
may be regarded as the first official introduction of the Republic of Azerbaijan that 
had emerged in 1918 on the global scale. 
Although not quite extensive in terms of
 
the covered issues this book had 
served as an introduction, providing European readers and politicians in particular 
with general information regarding Azerbaijani people's ethnogeny, historical roots, 
ethnographic peculiarities, religion, language, culture, relations with neighboring 
nations, traditions of statehood, country's state and legislative apparatus, economic 
potential, natural resources, financial sources, etc. 
Authors had attached special attention to factors contributing to the 
establishment of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Political struggle with Bolsheviks and 
Armenian nationalist-dashnaks opposing the idea of Azerbaijan's independence had 
also been placed in the forefront. Those books published by the delegation in English 
and French had also contained the information regarding the terrible genocide 
committed by the Bolshevik-Dashnak alliance against Azerbaijani Turks in Baku and 
country's other provinces in 1918 (approximately 10-12 thousand people had been 
killed only in Baku). 
Another valuable aspect of the “Claims” is the fact that it had been the first 
historical and diplomatic document providing precise and detailed description of the 
borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan. But of course border parameters had contained 
certain arguable aspects. Some territories had been the subjects of claims of
 
other 
newly independent states. However, underlying this borderline delimitation by the 
delegation of Azerbaijan was the historical existence of Azerbaijani cthnos on these 
lands, presence of great number of historical and cultural monuments belonging to 
our people and finally, a desire of predominantly Azerbaijani population of those 
territories to exist under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan. On the issue of the settlement 
of such complicated problems as disputed areas, similar to other delegations 
Azerbaijani diplomats had expected the answers from the Paris Peace Conference that 
at the time had taken upon itself the arbitrary function. 
However, since the Peace Conference had not interfered into the ongoing 
political processes in other parts of the world and on the outskirts of Europe, and had 
held indifferent position to the fate of number of newly independent states, the 
Bolsheviks had fulfilled the arbitrary function on the Caucasus. As a result instead of 

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150 thousand km2 that it had controlled, Azerbaijan had received 86.6 thousand km2 
within the Soviet Empire. 
Despite the existence of many disputed issues, and even military conflicts 
and local wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Georgia and Armenia, in their 
“Claims” presented to the Peace Conference the Azerbaijani delegation had viewed 
the future of these three countries and the Republic of Caucasian Mountaineers as a 
confederation. Be it in the past or at present by taking that strategic step the largest 
country of South-Caucasus in terms of economic potential, natural resources, area and 
population - Azerbaijan declared its readiness to protect the region's independence 
and unity, to share its potential with close neighbors and to fight jointly against the 
common enemy. However, obstructive position of Armenia had hindered the 
establishment of aforementioned “Caucasus house” - possibly the only way out under 
such complicated circumstances. This country, acting as a forepost of Russia in the 
Caucasus, had caused the emergence of similar destructive processes, and national 
and ethnic confrontation in the region even after the collapse of the Soviet Empire. 
“Claims” had indicated the colonial policy of tsarist Russia and principles of 
governmental policy of national and religious segregation as a primary obstacle for 
social progress of Azerbaijanis and other “Muslim nations”: “It is true that millions of 
Azerbaijanis are very little known, their ethnography, history, literature, lifestyle is 
yet to be the topic of serious research. It is also true that the 100 year old Russian 
reign is to blame”. 
Azerbaijani diplomats that adhered to the method of social evolution had 
drastically rejected promises of
 
the Bolsheviks regarding fundamental changes: “The 
Azerbaijanis regard the universal progress as an evolution process without any leap 
forwards. This is a logical development process where factors contradicting social and 
political life and ethical norms play a little role”. 70 years long frightening 
experiments of Communist ideology had once again demonstrated how objective and 
visionary Azerbaijani diplomats had been in respect of not only their historical 
homeland, but also of that of Russians and other nations of the empire. 
Relations of independent Azerbaijan with future Russia had been clearly and 
specifically defined in the “Claims”: “Without emphasizing the trials and tribulations 
we had experienced throughout century long existence in this country, we neverthe-
less wish prosperity to Russian people on their lands, within their new state. As to 
Azerbaijan, it wishes not to remain within Russia any further. Azerbaijan recognizes 
only its Parliament and its state”. 
Therefore one of the primary claims of the delegation to the Peace 
Conference was the official recognition of secession from the Russian Empire of 
Azerbaijan and other republics of the Caucasus. Staunchly supporting this idea, 
Azerbaijan had clearly rejected both the participation of Azerbaijan in the Constituent 
Assembly and entering into new state to be established under federative principles. 

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Amid other claims, there had been participation of Azerbaijani delegation 
members in the activity of committees and commissions of the Peace Conference and 
Azerbaijan's recognition by the League of Nations. Concise information regarding 
Azerbaijani Government and Parliament reflected in the “Claims” had once again 
affirmed the existence of stable local government institutions that were standing by 
for international cooperation. 
“Claims of the Peace Delegation of the Republic of Caucasian Azerbaijan 
presented to the Paris Peace Conference” is significant not only as a historical source 
or significant event of our diplomatic history. This book had contained a great number 
of aspects that retain their significance and are consonant with the present situation in 
Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region. A number of vital issues that had been raised by 
the diplomats of the First Republic of Azerbaijan in early XX century remain on the 
political agenda of the Third Republic in the beginning of the XXI century. This 
significant factor had been considered during the preparation for the publication of 
Azerbaijani translation, as well as elaboration of English and French texts of the 
“Claims”. 
The delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Paris Peace Conference 
had concluded their “Claims” with the following words: “Material resources and 
moral values of our nation, its respect for the law and order, principles of statehood 
are the biggest guarantees of its further independent existence”. 
It was the endurance of moral and vital principles established during the 
short government period of the Republic of Azerbaijan that had contributed to 
Azerbaijani people's significant role in the collapse of the Soviet Empire and 
establishment of its independent national state, regardless of all the hardships.