Though declared invalid upon signing, this treaty shaped the borders later confirmed by the Treaty of Kars and marked the end of the First Republic of Armenia.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 3 December 1920 (early hours)
- Signatory
- Alexander Khatisyan, Armenian Foreign Minister
- Territory ceded
- Over half of Armenia's territory to Turkey
- Nakhchivan
- Transferred to Azerbaijan under treaty terms
- Validity
- Deemed invalid; Armenian government had already resigned
- Turkish invasion began
- 12 September 1920
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Turkey launched an invasion of Armenia on 12 September 1920, seeking to roll back Armenian territorial gains and neutralize the republic on its eastern border. Military pressure forced the Armenian government to the negotiating table, even as the political situation in Yerevan was rapidly collapsing under Soviet pressure.
Armenian Foreign Minister Alexander Khatisyan signed the Treaty of Alexandropol with the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the early hours of 3 December 1920, formally ending the Turkish invasion. The treaty demanded Armenia renounce claims to Western Armenia, cede more than half its territory, transfer Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan, and accept terms reducing Armenia to a Turkish client state.
The treaty was immediately rendered void because the Armenian government in Yerevan had transferred power to a Soviet administration the previous day, making Khatisyan's signature illegitimate. Despite its invalidity, the treaty's territorial framework influenced the borders subsequently codified by the Treaty of Kars in 1921, while the episode confirmed the collapse of the First Republic of Armenia's sovereignty.
Political Outcome
Treaty declared invalid due to simultaneous Soviet takeover of Armenia; its territorial terms nonetheless shaped subsequent border settlements in the region.
First Republic of Armenia held nominal sovereignty
Soviet government assumed control of Armenia; republic ceased to exist