Soviet territorial claims against Turkey

• 1. Background And Treaty Expiration

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  The 1925 Soviet-Turkish Treaty of Friendship and Neutrality expired in 1945. The Soviet Union chose not to renew the agreement that had governed relations between Moscow and Ankara for two decades. Vyacheslav Molotov, serving as foreign minister at the time, informed Turkish officials that border disputes must be settled before any new treaty could begin. This diplomatic rupture coincided with long-standing Soviet objections to the Montreux Convention of 1936. That convention granted Turkey sole control over shipping through the Bosphorus strait. Russian exports relied heavily on this essential waterway for global trade. Stalin sought to change the balance of power around the Black Sea. He also wanted to weaken British influence in the Middle East. Nikita Khrushchev later recalled that deputy premier Lavrentiy Beria pressed Joseph Stalin to claim eastern Anatolian territory. They argued this land had been stolen from Georgians and Armenians by the Turks.

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• 2. Academic Justification For Claims

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  Central Georgian and Russian newspapers published letters arguing for legitimate territorial claims during December 1945. Communist publications like Zarya Vostoka, Pravda, and Izvestia carried these arguments between the 14th and 20th of that month. Academics Simon Janashia and Niko Berdzenishvili authored the letters that appeared in print. Their report included a section devoted to Lazistan or Chanetia. The borders described started from Batumi province boundaries and extended west along the Black Sea coast to the Terme River near Terme town. This territory covered approximately 20,000 square kilometers. It embraced capes including Rize, Trabzon, Fici, and Fener. The document referenced medieval wars with Byzantium and events from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries as historical parallels. The report implied that the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic could lay claim to historical provinces including Parhal, Tortom, and İspir. It also claimed East Chanetia and Central Chanetia regions around Trebizond.

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• 3. Three Strategic Territorial Plans

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  The Soviet government developed three distinct plans regarding how much Turkish territory should be ceded. The first plan targeted land from the former Russian Empire Oblast of Kars, Batum, and Surmali uyezd of Erivan Governorate. These areas had been part of the Russian Empire from 1878 until 1918 before becoming part of the Republic of Armenia between 1918 and 1920. They later belonged to the Democratic Republic of Georgia during 1918, 1921. The second plan included Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic claims along the Choroh river and eastern Lazistan. Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic claims focused on Alashert, which became city of Bayazet added to Kars and Surmali territories. The third plan encompassed most of Turkey's Black Sea region including Trabzon, Gumushane, and Giresun districts along the Terme River. This plan also covered the most eastern part of Anatolia containing Erzurum, Van, Mush, and Bitlis. Each plan represented escalating demands that grew more ambitious over time.

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• 4. Diaspora Repatriation Strategy

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  The Soviet government planned to repatriate ethnic Armenians into newly acquired territories. Between 1946 and 1948, approximately 150,000 ethnic Armenians migrated to Soviet Armenia after World War II. These migrants came from Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, and France. They were Western Armenians and their descendants seeking to return to ancestral lands. The Soviet leadership intended to relocate these populations into the territories they hoped to acquire from Turkey. This demographic strategy aimed to populate disputed regions with people who had historical ties to the area. The migration occurred within three years following the end of global conflict in Europe and Asia.

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• 5. American Opposition And Geopolitics

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  The United States opposed Soviet annexation of the Kars Plateau for strategic defense reasons. American officials viewed Turkey as necessary to defend against potential Soviet expansion. Certain elements in the American government saw Soviet territorial claims as expansionist and reminiscent of Nazi irredentism over Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia. Since 1934, the State Department concluded that earlier support for Armenia since President Wilson's term between 1913 and 1921 had expired. That support ended because Armenian independence was lost. The United States firmly opposed Soviet-backed separatist movements in both Turkey and Persia. This opposition led to the crushing and re-annexation of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad between 1946 and 1947 by Persia. It also resulted in the re-annexation of the Azeri Azerbaijan People's Government between 1945 and 1946 by Persia.

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• 6. NATO Entry And Renunciation Of Claims

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  Turkey joined the anti-Soviet military alliance NATO in 1952. This decision marked a significant shift in regional power dynamics during the early Cold War period. Following Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet government officially renounced its territorial claims on Turkey. Moscow made this move as part of an effort to promote friendly relations with the transcontinental country. They also sought better ties with their alliance partner, the United States. The abandonment of all demands represented the end of nearly eight years of diplomatic pressure and strategic planning. No further attempts were made to reclaim eastern Anatolian territory after this point.