By the Treaty of Sevres, Armenia’s territory was supposed to be 161,000 square kilometers. This is what Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia Ashot Melkonyan declared during a scientific conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Sevres today.
He recalled that the Treaty was signed on August 10, 1920 by the Ottoman Empire on one side, and Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Armenia on the other side. It meant that Turkey had come to grips with not only its defeat, but also the collapse of the entire empire. Turkey had to recognize Armenia’s independence and refuse any legal claim for territories after demarcation of the borders by the US President.
“The Treaty entered into force the day when the committee under the US President had presented the Armenian-Turkish border to the allies, that is, the border passing through Trabzon, Erzurum, Bitlis and Van. All of Erzurum, a major part of Trabzon and a third of Van and Bitlis were supposed to pass under Armenia. The states established in areas separated from Turkey were supposed to have free exit to the Mediterranean. Armenia was going to become a maritime nation. I am glad that the signing of the Agreement is still in the focus of the academic community. Even today, it is one of the main demands of the Armenian people,” the historian added.