| Georgian-Armenian War 1918 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Aftermath of World War I | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Democratic Republic of Armenia | Democratic Republic of Georgia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Drastamat Kanayan | Giorgi Mazniashvili | ||||||
Georgian-Armenian War was a border war fought in 1918 between the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the Democratic Republic of Armenia over the parts of the then-disputed provinces of Lori, Javakheti, and Borchalo district, which had been historically Armeno-Georgian marchlands, but were largely populated by Armenians since the 19th century.
By the end of World War I some of these territories were occupied by the Ottomans. When they abandoned the region, both Georgians and Armenians claimed control. The dispute degenerated into armed clashes on December 7, 1918. The hostilities continued with varying success until December 31 when the British brokered ceasefire was signed, leaving the disputed part of Borchalo district under the joint Georgian-Armenian administration which lasted until the establishment of the Soviet rule in Armenia in 1920.
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During the final stages of World War I, the Armenians and Georgians had been defending against the advance of the Ottoman Empire. In June 1918, in order to forestall an Ottoman advance on Tiflis, the Georgian troops had occupied the Lori Province which at the time had a 75% Armenian majority. After the Armistice of Mudros and the withdrawal of the Ottomans, the Georgian forces remained. Georgian Menshevik parlementarian Irakli Tsereteli offered that the Armenians would be safer from the Turks as Georgian citizens. The Georgians offered a quadripartite conference including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus in order to resolve the issue which the Armenians rejected. In December 1918, the Georgians were confronting a rebellion chiefly in the village of Uzunlar in the Lori region. Within days, hostilities commenced between the two republics.[1]
On December 5, 1918, the Armenians sent troops to take over the Borchalo and Akhalkalaki districts. The first military clashes occurred on December 9. Three days later, the Armenians scored a victory in the village of Sanahin in the Lori district, took over the village and its surroundings after surprise attacks, to build up effective defensive positions. The main advancing forces were halted and the Georgian Army mounted a counteroffensive, winning a battle at Shulaveri on December 29.[2] After this decisive success, the Georgian Military Staff decided to advance against Yerevan as a punitive campaign but the hostilities ended at the village of Sadakhlo on the night of December 31, when the parties agreed to a British-brokered ceasefire.[3]
Both parties signed a peace agreement in January 1919 brokered by the British. Armenian and Georgian troops left the territory and both sides agreed to begin talks on making a neutral zone. The neutral zone later was divided between the Armenian SSR and Georgian SSR under Communist Russia's supervision.