152
a common state structure, which encompassed the Caucasus as a whole, in the form
of a Caucasian Confederation.
Members of the Independence Committee thought that they were on the
brink of great events or decisive days that was a general war. It was stressed in the
declaration that this will bring a solution “of the political drama of the old Tsarist
Empire and, with it, the definite settling of the fate of” the peoples of the Caucasus.
Those days were not so far away and this would be a last chance for the Caucasians
to restart their war of independence. In such critical moments, however, “only the
closest union of the whole Caucasus, the most whole learned collaboration of its
leaders, resolved to carry on the struggle for the common ideal, can give the much
desired victory.”
389
Nevertheless, disputes among the different nationalities, especially between
the Armenians and Muslim groups caused the Committee’s failure to declare its
main program until 1934.
390
In June 1934, in No. 2 of Şimali Kafkasya Emir Hasan heralded
reconciliation among the Caucasians and on 14 July 1934, the Caucasian
Independence Committee concluded and signed the Pact of the Caucasian
Confederation in Brussels
391
. The representatives of the National Centres of
Azerbaijan, Georgia and the North Caucasus signed this Pact.
392
388
M. E. Resulzade, June/July 1952 “Kafkasya Meseleleri V: Kafkasya birliği fikri muhacerette,”
Kafkasya (Der Kaukasus), (Munich), 11/12: 6.
389
“Appeal of the Caucasian Independence Committee to All Caucasian Patriots,” 1934. Severnyi
Kavkaz/Şimali Kafkasya, (Warsaw), 3: 5.
390
Vaçnadze, “Hariçte Kafkasya”, 11.
391
For the full text of the Pact “Kafkasya Konfederasyonu Misakı,” 1934. Severnyi Kavkaz/Şimali
Kafkasya, (Warsaw), 3; and Kafkasya Konfederasyonu Vesikalar ve Materyallar, 1937. Kafkasya
153
With that Pact, the parties declared that the complete sovereignty of the
nations of the Caucasus was the main concern. The only possibility to attain this
aim was the establishment of a union, geographically and economically. Therefore,
as its political form, the Pact was proposing the establishment of a ‘Caucasian
Confederation,’ in which, the participating nationalities could preserve their
national characters and territorial integrity in the best manner possible.
According to the Pact, the Confederation would represent all the
nationalities of Caucasus as a whole in the international arena and preserve the
integrity of the Confederation with the help of Confederation army, which would
be made up of the armies of the confederated republics. For the resolution of the
internal debates, Pact proposed the establishment of arbitration court, that is
Supreme Court of the Confederation.
Thus in order to make the Confederation work within these formulated
principles, article 5 of the Pact revealed that, “as soon as possible a commission of
experts will draw up a project or a draft constitution for the Constitution for the
Caucasian Confederation.” This would serve as a basis for the work of the first
Constituent Assembly of each republic. At the end, in article 6 of the Pact, it was
stressed that there was a place for the Armenian Republic in the Confederation.
At the same time by issuing ‘an Appeal to all Caucasian Patriots’, the
Caucasian Independence Committee declared that it assumed the first period of its
activity closed by the declaration of the Pact. “From today the Pact must serve as
Konfederasyon Şurası Neşriyatından, 2: 5-7. Hereafter Vesikalar. But between these texts there
were small differences. In addition, an extra information could be obtained from the periodical of
Azerbaijanis Kurtuluş.
154
the essential basis for all activity of the National Centers; henceforth they are
united in the struggle for the conquest of the unalienable rights of the Caucasian
peoples.”
393
Thus, the Caucasian Independence Committee, for the new phase of the
Caucasian independence movement, revealed its intention to convene a conference
to discuss its past activities and proposed to create a new organ to carry out the
fundamental principles of the Pact.
394
The reactions of the Caucasian emigration to the signing of the Pact were
generally positive. Criticisms had been made pro forma on two different points.
One was related those who signed the pact on behalf of the North Caucasian
emigration. Some Caucasians believe that the signatures were not the notable
names of the North Caucasian emigration. The other point was related to the
Armenian question. According to these criticisms, there was no need to declare the
Pact without ensuring the participation of Armenians.
395
The proposed conference of the Caucasian Independence Committee held
from 14-23 February 1935.
396
After the election of the presidential board and
determination of the agenda, the Secretary General of the Caucasian Independence
Committee summarised the activities over the eight years of activities of the
392
This pact was signed by M.E. Resulzade and A. M. Topcubasi (Azerbaijan National Center),
M.G. Sunç, İbrahim Çulik and Tavsultan Şakman (North Caucasian National Center), and Noy
Jordaniya and A. Chkhenkeli (Georgian National Center).
393
“Appeal of the Caucasian Independence Committee to All Caucasian Patriots,” 1934. Severnyi
Kavkaz/Şimali Kafkasya, (Warsaw), 3: 4-5.
394
“Appeal.”
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