The Establishment of The Soviet Regime In Northern Azerbaijan. Resistance Against The Invaders

Violation of The Territorial Integrity of Azerbaijan

Formation of The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast And The Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

The most openly hostile attitude of the Soviet Russia to the “fraternal” Soviet Azerbaijan manifested in determining of the borders with neighboring countries and resolve territorial disputes. In solving the territorial problems the Soviet Russia did not defend “native” to it the Soviet Azerbaijan, but the Dashnak Armenia and the Menshevik Georgia. The most dramatic was that handing out the lands of Azerbaijan, Russia tried to conciliate Armenia and Georgia with the purpose of Sovietization.

In 1922, in the determination of the boundaries between the two Soviet republics in Moscow, taking into account the interests of Georgia, Qarayazi, Azerbaijani territory, was divided into two parts by passing its upper part to Georgia. Although about 80 thousands of Acres of land from the Tiflis Uyezd were returned to Azerbaijan, but in the second half of the 1920s the territories of Azerbaijan, under pressure from Moscow, had been ceded by Georgia. After the April conquest of 1920, actually Azerbaijan was ruled by Bolshevik and Dashnak emissaries- S. Orjonikizade, S. Kirov, A. Mikoyan and the others who sent from Moscow to Baku. Azerbaijan government led by N.Nerimanov was not in a position to protect national interests.

This time Soviet Russian negotiated in secret with Dashnak Armenia about the territorial problems without participation of Azerbaijan SSR. According to the agreement with the six articles, which concluded on August 16, 1920, between Soviet Russian and Armenian Republic, The Sharur-Deralayaz region was confirmed as the Azerbaijan territory, and the Zangazur, Nakhchivan and Karabakh regions were considered as “controversial.” In this regard, the leader of the Azerbaijan government Narimanov expressed strong protest.

After the establishment of the Soviet power in Armenia, on November 29, 1920, the struggle for the “controversial territories” entered a new phase. On December 1, 1920, on behalf of the Azerbaijan Revolutionary Committee, Nariman Narimanov issued a declaration on the establishment of the Soviet Armenia. This declaration, written in a hasty manner, under the dictation of S. Orjonikidze, a Moscow representative and member of the Caucasus Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist (Bolshevik) Party, stated: “... the Soviet Azerbaijan announces that from now, no territorial issues can cause mutual bloodletting of two neighboring nations: the Armenians and Muslims; territory of Zangazur and Nakhchivan uyezds inseparable part of Soviet Armenia; peasantry of Nagorno Karabakh (Armenians - Ed) has the full right of self-determination and all military activities inside the Zangazur borders are suspended, and the troops of Soviet Azerbaijan are removed from Zangazur.” This irresponsible statement was sharply condemned by Turkey and Nakhchivan began protests.