Стр. 23 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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the counties as well. Commissaries were appointed to the Iravan governorate and counties by
the temporary government.
After the February Revolution, councils began to be formed in the Iravan governorate. On
March 8 (21), a soldier’s council was founded in Aleksandropol followed by a worker’s deputy
council. Soon, the councils united. On March 12 (25), a soldier’s council was founded in Iravan
city followed by a worker’s deputy council in April. The councils were organized in the cities
of the Iravan governorate in March. The Dashnaks gained the majority in both local organs and
councils under the temporary government. At the end of September 1917, Dashnaks convened
the “Armenian National Conference” in Tbilisi. The Armenian National Council (chairman
A. Agaronyan) was founded during the conference. National councils began to be formed in
Iravan city and in the counties of the governorate. The Armenian National Council began plan-
ning to prepare and implement a genocide policy against Azerbaijani people in Iravan gover-
norate, to organize Armenians’ provocative activities in the Ottoman Empire, and to recruit
Armenian units to fight in the Caucasus army. After the October Revolution (1917), the South
Caucasus Commissariat (November 15 (28), 1917) established its government in the Iravan
governorate as well. The Dashnaks and their agents won the election to the Muessis Congress
in Russia for the Iravan governorate. The Transcaucasian Seym (meeting) that began on Febru-
ary 10 (23), 1918, ratified the separation of the South Caucasus from Russia (March 1918). The
Iravan governorate was united with the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic after
it was declared on April 22, 1918.
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) government implemented a special
policy to use Armenians living in Iravan governorate and the Ottoman Empire for its political
goals. On December 17 (30), 1917, a separate Armenian Affairs Commissariat was founded in
the People’s Commissariat of National Affairs. The Council of the People’s Commissar of So-
viet Russia adopted a “Decree of Turkish Armenia” on December 17, 1917 (January 11, 1918).
The recall of Russian military units from the Caucasus front (December 1917/January 1918)
strengthened the Dashnaks’ stance a great deal. Genocide against Azerbaijanis in the Iravan
governorate became more widespread.