Treaty of Gulistan

The Treaty of Gulistan was a peace treaty concluded between Russia and Iran, which ended the Russo-Iranian War of 1804–1813. It was signed on October 24, 1813, in the village of Gulistan (Karabakh). It was preceded by the peace negotiations of Aslanduz (October 1812), during which the Iranian government, with the support of England, demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Northern Azerbaijan and Georgia. Subsequent defeats of the Iranian army, as well as the success of Russia in the Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon, forced Iran to abandon these demands and resume negotiations, which ended with the conclusion of the Treaty of Gulistan.

The treaty consisted of 11 articles. The most important of them was Article 2 and according to it the parties were to retain the “lands, khanates and dominions” that were under their control at the time of the armistice. Thus, Iran recognized the incorporation of the khanates of Eastern Georgia, Dagestan, Karabakh, Ganja, Sheki, Shirvan, Derbent, Quba, Baku and Talish into the Russian Empire. According to Article 5, only Russia was granted the right to have a military fleet in the Caspian Sea. The treaty also provided for trade privileges that Russia received from Iran – a low (five percent) customs tariff, exemption from internal custom duties, etc.

The Treaty of Gulistan ended the first stage of the annexation of South Caucasus by Russia. The Shah's government could not reconcile itself to the Treaty of Gulistan and repeatedly tried to revise it, but to no avail.

The consequences of the Treaty of Gulistan were further consolidated by Russia with the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.

 

Literature: ქორთუა ნ., საქართველო 1806–1812 წლების რუსეთ-თურქეთის ომში, თბ., 1964; საქართველოს ისტორიის ნარკვევები, ტ. 4, თბ., 1973; Игамбердыев М. А., Иран в международных отношениях первой трети ХIХ века, Самарканд, 1961.

 

 

Z. Anchabadze