May 28 Armenia celebrates First Republic Day.

Today is May 28, the anniversary of Armenia’s first Republic.

The country declared its independence on May 28, 1918, two days after the dissolution of the Transcaucasian Seim. The other states in the Transcaucasian Federation – Georgia and Azerbaijan – became independent on May 26 and 27.

The fact was enshrined in a May 28 declaration adopted by the Armenian National Council of Tiflis (Tbilisi). Later, at the beginning of June, the Council issued a statement that laid the foundations of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. Before the government’s arrival from the Georgian capital, the Yerevan National Council took charge of the country’s affairs. It was headed by Aram Manukyan, who later became an interior minister.

Shortly after declaring independence, Armenia was forced to sue for negotiations at Treaty of Batumi, (signed in the Georgian town on June 4, 1918). Under the document, Turkey recognized Armenia’s independence, but the new republic was left with a mere 12,000 square kilometers. Armenia thus lost its western provinces as well as several regions in the east.

On May 30, 1918 the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) had decided that Armenia should be a republic under a provisional coalition government. The declaration stated that the Republic of Armenia was to be a self-governing state, endowed with a constitution, the supremacy of state authority, independence, sovereignty, and plenipotentiary power. Katchaznouni became the country's first Prime Minister and Aram Manukian was the first minister of Interior.

Armenia established a Ministry of Interior and created a police force. The Armenian parliament passed a law on the police on April 21, 1920, specifying its structure, jurisdiction, and responsibilities.

On July 19, 1918, the National Council finally arrived in Armenia. The country’s supreme legislative body called the Council of Armenia was formed on July 19. It was composed of different political parties, as well as non-partisan members and national minorities (46 members. of whom 18 were ARF-D representatives).

The executive, formed on July 24, represented three key figures – the prime minister, Hovhnannes Kachaznuni, the interior minister, Aram Manukyan, and the minister of foreign affairs, Hovhannes Khatisyan.

At its first meeting on August 1, the Council appointed Avetik Sahakyan (ARF-D) its chairman.

In 1919, the leaders of the Republic had to deal with issues on three fronts: domestic, regional, and international. The Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians that took control in 1918 fell apart and in June 1919, the first national elections were held. The establishment of law was a problem: Armenians had the most organized structure in their homeland; however, several other ethnic groups had been settled for many centuries in these lands, too (Kurds and Azeris were the major ones).

The government of Hovhannes Kachaznuni was faced with a most sobering reality in the winter of 1918-19. The newly formed government was responsible for over half a million Armenian refugees in the Caucasus. The homeless masses, lacking food, clothing and medicine, had to endure the elements. Many who survived the exposure and famine succumbed to the ravaging diseases. By the spring of 1919, the typhus epidemic had run its course, the weather improved and the first American Committee for Relief in the Near East shipment of wheat reached Batumi. The British army transported the aid to Yerevan. Yet by that time some 150,000 of the refugees had perished A report in early 1919 noted that 65% of the population of Sardarabad, 40% of the population of eight villages near Etchmiadzin and 25% of the population of Ashtarak had died.

In 1920, the Republic of Armenia administered an area that covered most of present-day Armenia, Kars, Igdir, and the Chuldur and Gole districts of Ardahan, while the regions of Nakhichevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur (today the Armenian province of Syunik), and Qazakh were disputed and fought over with Azerbaijan. The Oltu region (briefly administered by Georgia in 1920) was also claimed by Armenia. The majority-Armenian area of Lori was disputed with and administered by Georgia. The areas south of Yerevan which were populated by Muslims did not acknowledge Armenian authority and resisted attempts by the Armenian government to assert its control over those regions. Nevertheless, after the signing of the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920, Armenia was granted formal international recognition. The United States, as well as some South American countries, officially opened diplomatic channels with the government. Numerous Armenian missions were also established in Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Greece, Iran, Japan and Africa.

The Treaty of Sèvres was signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and Ottoman Empire at Sèvres, France on August 10, 1920. The treaty included a clause on Armenia: it made all parties signing the treaty recognize Armenia as a free and independent state. The drawing of definite borders was, however, left to President Woodrow Wilson and the United States State Department, and was only presented to Armenia on November 22. The new borders gave Armenia access to the Black Sea and awarded large portions of the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire to the republic.

The Turkish Revolutionaries saw the partitioning of Anatolia to be unacceptable and revolted against the allies. Also due to some Turks inside DRA being mistreated and oppressed by Armenians brought more reason to start a military offensive. On September 20, 1920, the Turkish General Kazım Karabekir invaded the region of Sarikamish. In response, Armenia declared war on Turkey on September 24 and the Turkish–Armenian War began. In the regions of Oltu, Sarikamish, Kars, Alexandropol (Gyumri) Armenian forces clashed with those of Karabekir’s armies. Mustafa Kemal Pasha had sent several delegations to Moscow in search of an alliance, where he had found a receptive response by the Soviet government, which started sending gold and weapons to the Turkish revolutionaries. This proved disastrous for the Armenians.

Armenia gave way to communist power in late 1920. In November 1920, the Turkish revolutionaries captured Alexandropol and were poised to move in on the capital. A cease fire was concluded on November 18. Negotiations were then carried out between Karabekir and a peace delegation led by Alexander Khatisian in Alexandropol; although Karabekir’s terms were extremely harsh the Armenian delegation had little recourse but to agree to them. The Treaty of Alexandropol was thus signed in early December.

Russia’s 11th Red Army began its virtually unopposed advance into Armenia on November 29, 1920. The actual transfer of power took place on December 2 in Yerevan. The Armenian leadership approved an ultimatum, presented to it by the Soviet plenipotentiary Boris Legran. Armenia decided to join the Soviet sphere, while Soviet Russia agreed to protect its remaining territory from the advancing Turkish army. The Soviets also pledged to take steps to rebuild the army, protect the Armenians and to not pursue non-communist Armenians, although the final condition of this pledge was reneged when the Dashnaks were forced out of the country.

On December 5, the Armenian Revolutionary Committee also entered the city. On December 5, the Armenian Revolutionary Committee also entered the city. Soon, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed, under the leadership of Alexander Miasnikyan. It was to be included into the newly created Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.