MONDROS MÜTAREKESİ SONRASI DOĞU KARADENİZ BÖLGESİ’NDEKİ DURUM VE ERZURUM KONGRESİ
THE SITUATION IN THE EASTERN BLACK SEA REGION AFTER THE ARMISTICE OF MUDROS AND THE ERZURUM CONGRESS

Summary/Abstract: The Ottoman Empire lost the First World War, which was its last war, dramatically. In the following period, it was discussed how the future of the Ottoman lands would be shaped. The Armistice of Mudros gave some clues on this issue. This armistice was preparing a ground that would leave Anatolia vulnerable to future invasions, due to some vague provisions. The authority gap experienced after the armistice caused an environment of turmoil in the Eastern Black Sea Region as well as in many regions of Anatolia. Armenians and Greeks, with the effect of foreign support, engaged in separatist activities in their regions. On the other hand, the Muslim people living in these regions chose to fight against both these separatists and possible invasion attempts. Upon the increase of efforts to establish Pontus and the great Armenia states in the Eastern Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions, the Erzurum branch of the Vilâyât-ı Şarkıyye Müdâfaa-i Şarkıyye Müdâfaa-i Hukûk-ı Milliyye Cemiyeti and the Trabzon Muhâfaza-i Hukuk Cemiyeti organized the Erzurum Congress in Erzurum between 23 July and 7 August 1919. Among the topics discussed in the Erzurum Congress, events in the Eastern Black Sea Region had an important place. This situation was also reflected in the congress declaration. The articles in the declaration such as “the impossibility of Trabzon Province and Canik Sanjak with the eastern provinces to be separated from each other and from the Ottoman community for no reason and excuse; the Muslims in the region were regarded as real brothers and because all kinds of occupation and intervention will be considered as aimed at the establishment of a Pontus and Armenian state the principle of defense and resistance against it” were important in this respect.

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