The Republic of Aras ( az, Araz Respublikası; also known as the Republic of Araks or the Araxi Republic) was a short-lived and unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, roughly corresponding with the territory that is now the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. Named after the

Aras River , az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan excl ...

that formed its southern border, the republic was declared in December 1918 by Jafargulu Khan Nakhchivanski with support from the

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...

's ruling party, the Musavat Party, and the government of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. The creation of the Republic of Aras was in response to a border proposal by Sir John Oliver Wardrop, British Chief Commissioner in the South Caucasus, that would have assigned the area to the First Republic of Armenia.Dr. Andrew Andersen, Ph.D
Atlas of Conflicts: Armenia: Nation Building and Territorial Disputes: 1918-1920
/ref> Its existence was ended when troops from

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

advanced into the region and succeeded in taking control over it in mid-June 1919 during the Aras War. However, this triggered an advance into the Nakhchivan region by the army of the Azerbaijan Republic and Ottoman Empire, and by the end of July Armenia had lost control of the region.Армяно-Азербайджанские вооруженные конфликты 1919-1920 гг.
/ref>

References

1918 establishments in Asia 1919 disestablishments in Asia 20th century in Armenia 20th century in Azerbaijan Former republics Former unrecognized countries History of Nakhchivan Modern history of Azerbaijan Post–Russian Empire states States and territories established in 1918 States and territories disestablished in 1919 Historical Turkic states {{Nakhchivan-geo-stub

See also

References