Paris, 1928. Alimerdan bey Topchubashov, one of the first foreign ministers for the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, who had lived in exile for many years, reached for the newspaper and glanced at an article. The article said France invited the Soviet government to join “the Kellogg–Briand Pact”, also known as the Pact of Paris. The Soviet state proposed projects for conventions on full disarmament, saying that “not only war must as a tool of national policy be subject to prohibition but war serving any purpose. Also prohibited must be military actions, such as “intervention, blockade, military occupation of foreign territory”, according to the Soviet government…”

“What sublime impudence!” Topchubashov talks to himself. “The Soviets condemn any invasion. And what about themselves? Is there any soil left they haven’t invaded? They seized up whatever came to hand, plus Azerbaijan. Bolsheviks brought scores of nations, peoples to their knees, depriving them of freedom, happiness, and future. As a result, glorious sons and daughters were forced to flee their homes. They cannot seem to find closure and content themselves. Now they do dust eyes by signing this pact…”

Topchubashov, who visited France in May 1919 - nine years ago to the day, was aware that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had brought the issue of Azerbaijan to the agenda at the Versailles Peace Conference some days earlier, and the "Big Four" discussed the fate of the newly emerged Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).

When the parties sat around the table, a memorandum in several languages was handed over to President Wilson by Alimerdan bey, head of the Azerbaijan delegation to the conference. The latter stressed the importance of establishing bilateral relations between the United States and the ADR.

“Mr. President! The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, struggling for independence and democracy, has the right to live. We have been oppressed under Tsarist Russia for many years, barring us from possessing our own country, its national resources and moral values. Today Azerbaijan has gained independence, and it's a great honor for me to have this opportunity to meet You today on the anniversary of the ADR. Mr. Wilson, I ask you over again: we need to secure our independence achieved with great difficulties. Azerbaijan needs support from the international community,” he added.

President Wilson granted the delegation an audience, at which he displayed a cold and rather unsympathetic attitude. Wilson stated that the Conference did not want to partition the world into small pieces. Wilson advised Azerbaijan that it would be better for them to develop a spirit of confederation, and that such a confederation of all the peoples of Transcaucasia could receive the protection of some Power on the basis of a mandate granted by the League of Nations. The Azerbaijani question, Wilson concluded, could not be solved prior to the general settlement of the Russian question.

On 12 January 1920, the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers at the Paris Peace Conference de-facto recognized the independence of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, owing much to the efforts of Topchubashov and other Azerbaijani diplomats.

Farhad Sabiroğlu