Armenian National Council (1917–18)

The Armenian National Council (Armenian: Հայոց Ազգային Խորհուրդ) was a permanent executive body formed by the Armenian National Congress in Tbilisi (then in the Russian Empire) in October 1917. The Council was responsible for creating the First Republic of Armenia in May 1918, the first independent Armenian state since the Middle Ages.

The Council consisted of 15 members, under the chairmanship of Avetis Aharonian. Although the Armenian National Congress was dominated by the Dashnak Party, to compromise with other political groups, the Dashnaks only took six of the available seats on the council.

The original 15 members were as follows:

In May 1918, the Transcaucasian Federative Republic disintegrated. It had governed the peoples of former Russian-ruled Transcaucasia, including the Armenians, Georgians and Azerbaijanis. On 26 May, the Georgian National Council proclaimed the independence of Georgia and the Muslim National Council in Tbilisi followed by proclaiming the independence of Azerbaijan on 28 May. Since Armenians were at war with Turkey, the Armenian National Council was reluctant to proclaim Armenian independence, but decided it had no other option given the dissolution of the Trancaucasian Federative Republic, and the decision was announced on 30 May. This led to the creation of the Democratic Republic of Armenia.

The National Council now sent representatives to Batumi to negotiate a peace settlement with the Ottoman Empire, which was fighting the Armenians in the area near Yerevan. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on 4 June 1918. The treaty meant accepting territorial losses, especially in the provinces of Kars and Yerevan; a reduction of the Armenian army; liberties for Muslims in the new state; and the right of the Ottoman Army to cross Armenian territory.

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