The Implementation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in Eastern Anatolia

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, signed on March 3, 1918, is an important diplomatic document that ended the Caucasus Front of World War I between the Ottoman Empire and Soviet Russia, and introduced new border arrangements between the parties. One of the most notable articles of the treaty stipulated the return of the cities of Kars, Ardahan, and Batum to the Ottoman Empire, which had been ceded to Russia following the Treaty of Berlin signed after the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War. The implementation process of the treaty in Eastern Anatolia was not merely a diplomatic border arrangement, but also brought about multidimensional developments such as military operations, administrative organization, and the reintegration of the region's population into Ottoman rule. During the March-April 1918 period, the Ottoman army advanced in the Caucasus and effectively took possession of the territories specified within the framework of the treaty provisions. During this process, tensions with the Armenian population in the region, migration movements, and local resistance were also among the notable events. The implementation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was considered both a military and political gain for the Ottoman Empire, but the permanence of these gains was limited. With the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I at the end of the same year and the signing of the Armistice of Mudros, the regions in question quickly fell out of Ottoman control once again. Therefore, the implementation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in Eastern Anatolia represents a temporary but strategically important period in Ottoman history.