[Turco-Greek Boundary. Mediation.] Representatives at Constantinople to come to an understanding with the Sublime Porte, with a view to facilitate the negotiations as well upon the definitive fixing of a frontier-line as upon the minor points and the details which belong to this question. The Undersigned, &c. ABÉDINE. [The Representatives of the Treaty Powers at Constantinople replied to this Note on the 25th August, 1880, by a Collective Note, in which it was stated that the decision of the Conference of Berlin having been arrived at after mature deliberation, and after a careful examination of the different lines successively proposed by the Turkish and Greek Governments, the Mediating Powers could not consent to a reopening of a discussion on the subject; that they could only adhere to the decision of the Conference; that they approved of it; and that they recommended it to the Sublime Porte, as being in conformity with the Treaty and Protocol of Berlin (Nos. 526, 530). On the 18th December, 1880, the French Government proposed that the Six Powers, instead of proceeding by means of simple mediation, should settle the question of the Turco-Greek Boundary by acting as arbitrators. This was agreed to by the British Government, on condition that both Turkey and Greece would agree to the arbitration, and would abide by the Award, but the proposal did not meet with general success, and was withdrawn on the 17th January, 1881. The German Government were then requested by the British Government to submit a proposal on the subject, and it did so. Various meetings were then held between the Ambassadors at Constantinople, and Collective Notes were exchanged by them and the Porte and the Greek Government until the 2nd May, 1881, on which day the Porte accepted a line which had been proposed by the Treaty Powers. (See "State Papers," Vol. 72, page 405.) Conferences were then held from the 10th to the 24th May, 1881 (No. 583), and on the latter day, a Convention was signed between the Treaty Powers and the Porte for the Settlement of the Frontier between Greece and Turkey (No. 584).] [Turco-Persian Boundary. Khotour.] No. 572.-PROTOCOL of Conference between the British and Russian Commissioners, respecting the Delimitation of the Territory of Khotour, with the object of fixing the Frontier Line of that Territory in conformity with Art. LX of the Treaty of Berlin (No. 530). Sary Kamish, 27th July, 1880. For Great Britain (Translation.) Present: Major-General Sir Edward Hamley, K.C.M.G., C.B. For Russia Major-General Zelenoy. Colonel Koulberg (Assistant). General Sir Edward Hamley and General Zelenoy, after having exchanged their powers, have carefully examined that part of the work of the mixed Anglo-Russian Commission which concerns the territory of Khotour alone. That piece of work consists of a tracing of the frontier line made upon two maps on the scale of, an English reduction from the large official map, by the hands of the Commissioners of the AngloRussian Mixed Commission; General Kemball for Great Britain and Colonel Zelenoy (the same General Zelenoy, the signer of this Protocol) for Russia. General Sir E. Hamley and General Zelenoy declare, General Zelenoy from his own knowledge, and General Sir E. Hamley from evidence shown by the said maps and the precise explanations given by General Zelenoy, that the two Delegates of the said former Commission were agreed with regard to the definitive frontier line of Khotour, of which the tracing made by them is shown on the two English reductions above mentioned from the official map. The task of the former Commission being, not the partial delimitation of the Valley of Khotour, but the entire TurcoPersian frontier, of which the delimitation of Khotour only presented a very small part, it naturally followed that, in this continuity of the entire frontier, it was sufficient to determine [Turco-Persian Boundary. Khotour.] only all the frontier west of the Valley of Khotour, and its two extremities by which that frontier of Khotour was connected with the rest of the entire Turco-Persian frontier. However, considering the question of Khotour by its history as a separate question, the said Commission is agreed upon the frontiers north and south of the Valley of Khotour. Consequently all the frontier line of the territory of Khotour traced by General Kemball and Colonel Zelenoy upon the said English reductions from the large official map, follows the following line, actually drawn by the undersigned on the map annexed to the present Protocol. The frontier on the north, starting from the Bere-i-Kurgui Mountains, proceeds in a general direction towards the west, reaches the mountains Guerdi-Béranan and Bere Gevran, and continues as far as the summit of Mount Khydyr-Baba, where the northern frontier joins the western frontier of the territory of Khotour. During the whole of this course, the northern frontier forms the line of watershed of the left affluents of the Khotourtchai, from the waters of Beledgik on the west, as far as the waters of the Bere-i-Kurgui Mountains, on the east, with the right affluents of Tchementchyk over the same space. The western frontier starts from the same summit of the Khydyr-Baba Mountains, proceeds in a general direction towards the south, by the Kemarouk Guedouk, and Tépé Avristan Mountains, as far as the left bank of the Khotour-tchai, leaving to Persia all the valley of Beledgik, and to Turkey the valley of Kan-i-man-yourl, then remounting the left bank of the Khotour-tchai to the north of the main road, the frontier crosses the road and the river opposite the mountains which are formed on the left bank of the Schiwa-resch stream; follows the crest of those mountains, and rejoining, by the line of the watershed of Khotour and Alback-tchai, the Mir-Omar Mountains, leaves to Persia the defile and village of Razi, the village of Gharatil, and the village of Panamerik, and to Turkey the village of Kevlik. The southern frontier starts from the Mir-Omar Mountains, proceeds in a general direction towards the east by the summit of Mount Sourowa, as far as the western extremity of the Kerpilan Mountains, following from west to east, first the watershed of Khotour and Alback-tchai, and then of Khotourtchai and Dere-Dishivan. [Turco-Persian Boundary. Khotour.] The map annexed is a copy of the Official Map on the scale of 350, called "Carte identique," of which an identic official and certified copy is in the possession of each of the four interested Parties.* The line described in this Protocol, and drawn on the annexed map in green, is the tracing of General Kemball and Colonel Zelenoy, taken from the two copies of the English reduction, on the scale of the official Identic Map. The Undersigned Generals are of opinion that the frontier above described ought to be marked on the ground by a TurcoPersian Commission, assisted, if Great Britain and Russia should find it convenient, by English and Russian Officers; and, moreover, they recommend, as an indispensably practical measure, that the functions of this future Commission should be limited solely to the marking of this line on the ground, without any discussion of the rights of the two neighbouring Powers. Signed at Sary Kamish, 19th July, 1880. E. B. HAMLEY. A. ZELENOY. * Great Britain, Russia, Persia, and Turkey. Annexed to Protocol of July, 1880. To face page 2976. Copie de la carte officielle due identique à l'échelle 75050 Certihe comme conforme à l'original de deux dits cremplaires. EBRamley A. Zelinoy HARRISON & SONS LITH. S: MARTINS LANE. W.C. |