Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Georgian-Turkish Relations: History, Language, Literature, Culture…, Kutaisi, Gürcistan, 13 - 14 Haziran 2025, (Yayınlanmadı)
After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, Georgian
Mensheviks took over the administration in Georgia and declared their
independence. However, this was a short-term situation, with the Sovietization
of Armenia and Azerbaijan by the Bolsheviks, the Red Army troops entered
Tbilisi, and the Georgian Soviet administration established in 1921. After this
stage, Turkish-Georgian relations developed in the Soviet Union period,
depending on Turkish-Soviet relations. Although there was no insurmountable
problem until the beginning of World War II, Turkish-Soviet relations became
tense as the war progressed, and this tension continued to increase after the
war. Türkiye maintained its interest in Georgia on the border with the Soviet
Union, followed the developments there, and kept the Turkish Foreign Ministry
and the relevant institutions of the state informed about the developments. The
archival documents related to Georgia mainly cover military, political,
population, land, migration, and commercial relations. Especially after Batumi ceded
to Georgia following the Treaty of Moscow, there was a population flow, and
therefore problems such as borders and lands arose. One of these related to the
issue of health, and it was necessary to make regulations, especially regarding
the passage of animals to pastures and meadows.
In order not to face any risks during the crossings,
Türkiye closely followed the developments regarding the sanitary situation and
epidemics in its neighbor Georgia. According to a 1923 report, although it was
determined that diseases such as cholera and typhus were not seen in Georgian
ports as a result of the investigation, the need to take measures against
contagious animal diseases on the Turkish-Georgian border between Türkiye and
the USSR arose, and making an agreement was brought to the agenda in this
context.
A 17-article “Veterinary Agreement (contract)” signed
between Türkiye and Georgia on August 6, 1928, in Ankara, after being
paraphrased on January 28, 1927, and three protocols and annexes to this
contract approved on the same day. The agreement was concluded within the scope
of the Treaty signed in Kars on 13 October 1921 and the Pastures Agreement
signed in Ankara on 6 August 1928. Accordingly, the inhabitants of Türkiye
would be able to benefit from the known pastures within the borders of the
former Batumi region, former Ozurgeti, Ahıska and Akhalkalaki administrations,
while the inhabitants of the Georgian Socialist Soviet Republic would be able
to benefit from the areas within the borders of Artvin and Kars provinces, up
to 15 kilometers away from the Turkish-Georgian border. The contract specified
how to control animals classified as large or small and the rules and sanctions
that animal owners in need of the pastures and the authorities at both borders
must comply with.
In this study, the Veterinary Agreement will be
examined as a regulation concerning health, animal diseases and the
Turkish-Georgian border in Georgia during the USSR period, within the framework
of Turkish Diplomatic Archive documents.