ABSTRACT
The Bolsheviks’ pressure on the new Caucasian republics was getting worse in fall 1919. At the same time, the Bolsheviks threatened British supremacy in the Middle East and were interested in Iran and Turkey. That was a crucial factor that drove the British government and Lloyd George to accept the independence of the Southern Caucasian republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. The British prime minister’s support encouraged Azerbaijan’s government and its peace delegation. As the Bolshevik danger increased in early 1920, the Versailles Supreme Council considered de facto recognition of the independence of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Topchibashov and the Azerbaijani delegation were invited to the Supreme Council’s meeting on January 11, 1920. Azerbaijan received de facto recognition as an independent state by the Paris Peace Conference, which was confirmed by the French Foreign Ministry on January 15. The news was celebrated in Baku and other Azerbaijani cities. It was an important victory for Topchibashov and the Azerbaijani delegation.
