Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, leads the Vespers, evening prayers, in the Grotto, in the Church of Nativity, as the Armenian community of Jerusalem celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank, on January 18, 2016. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90
A member of the Jerusalem Armenian scouts marches past Palestinian security, during the welcome ceremony at Manger Square by the Church of Nativity, as the Armenian community of Jerusalem celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank, on January 18, 2016. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90
Armenian priests and seminar students attend a prayer welcoming the New Year, at midnight, in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, on January 13, 2016, according to the old Orthodox calendar. Photos by Hadas Parush/Flash90
Christmas party for children in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, on January 12, 2016, ahead of Armenian Christmas which will take place on January 18. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90
April 2 1921, Yerevan–TheSoviets took over most of Armenia in December 1920, seeming a better alternative to the approaching Turkish armies. Soviet control was short-lived, after the Soviets quickly alienated much of the population, the Dashnaks were able to retake Yerevan and much of the surrounding area in mid-February. After conquering Georgia and negotiating a peace treaty with the Turks in March, the Soviets were once again able to concentrate on Armenia, launching an offensive on March 24 and retaking Yerevan on April 2. The Dashnaks fell back into the mountains in the Syunik province, where they continued to fight against the Soviets until July.
Soviet and Turkish signatories of the Treaty of Moscow.
March 16 1921, Moscow–TheSoviet invasion of Georgia brought Soviet Russia into direct contact with Turkey, which soon thereafter invaded the country from the south. The Soviets had already repudiated the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that had given up large areas to the Ottoman Empire. Kemal’s government in Ankara wanted to keep these gains, but was also diplomatically isolated and was more worried about the Allies occupying Constantinople and Smyrna.
On March 16, representatives from Kemal’s government and the Soviets signed a treaty in Moscow. Turkey got to keep most of the gains from Brest-Litovsk, with the exception of Batum [Batumi], while Turkey recognized the Soviet republics in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Both sides repudiated Brest-Litovsk and Sèvres, and the question of navigation of the Straits was deferred to a later time. Residents of the territories Russia gave up in Brest-Litovsk were to have the right to leave Turkey with their property intact. Azerbaijan’s control over the Nakhchivan exclave, which continues to this day, was confirmed by both sides.
The treaty brought an end to Turkey’s adventures in the Caucasus (for many decades), and the borders established by the treaty remain largely unchanged to this day. The last organized Georgian resistance to the Soviet invasion collapsed two days after the treaty, leaving the Soviets free to concentrate on the Dashnaks in Armenia.
Sources include: Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War
These are damn difficult times for all of us but please don’t be a criminal, don’t give us ignorance. Educate yourself on everything that’s happening and advocate for human rights.
YOU ARE NOT SOLELY THE REGION WHERE YOU LIVE. YOU ARE ONE OF US. YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD.
Among those events: A battle over villages held by holdout forces, a siege across the ceasefire line, and the contentious re-establishment of the border between southern Armenia and Azerbaijan.
![Varditer Karapetyan / Վարդիթեր Կարապետյան, b. 1927, d. 2014Self PortraitArmenia (1970)[Source]She’s](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f18a77f1701463a6242b25d672b04f85/tumblr_pcaue5tC0f1ug5xwdo1_500.jpg "Varditer Karapetyan / Վարդիթեր Կարապետյան, b. 1927, d. 2014Self PortraitArmenia (1970)[Source]She’s")
