Telegram of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Armenian SSR to the Commander of the Eastern Front of Turkey Karabekir.

 A source: USSR foreign policy documents. Volume 4. p. 273. Moscow. Gospolitizdat. 1960

August 17, 1921 No. 6454

The Government of Soviet Armenia expresses its satisfaction with your statement that the citizens of Armenia, when passing through Turkish territory, meet the assistance of the Turkish authorities. For their part, the Armenian authorities show no less solicitude towards the Muslim refugees passing through Armenia to Turkey.

But in our last telegram of July 22, we also had in mind those citizens of Soviet Armenia, military and civilians who, after the cessation of hostilities between Armenia and Turkey, remained on your territory for one reason or another. Public opinion in Armenia is deeply disturbed by the fact that thousands of our citizens languish in captivity for many months, while relations of friendship and good neighborhood have been established between Turkey and Soviet Armenia.

No less excitement among the population is caused by information that the Armenians of Artvin being evicted by the Turkish authorities are in very difficult conditions, and during the eviction there were deplorable clashes. We hope that the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey will pay due attention to all of the above and release all the citizens of Armenia who are now on its territory to freedom, thus dispelling the remnant of mutual mistrust between the two peoples and creating an unshakable basis for relations of direct and sincere friendship. For a more organized and painless resettlement of the Artvin Armenians and to provide them with the necessary medical and material assistance, it would be desirable for us to send a representative of the Main Directorate of Soviet Armenia for Resettlement Affairs to Artvin. Hopefully

We ask you to wire about your agreement to admit this representative to Artvin.

Please accept the assurances of my utmost respect,

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs

A. Mravyan