Agreement Between the ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun) and the CUP (Committee of Union and Progress, Ittihad ve Terakki)
In early July, 1908, in the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of Sultan Hamid 2-nd, the Constitution was reinforced. The constitutional movement was the culmination of cooperation between the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun and several Turkish and non-Turkish opposition movements.
Less than a year later, in late March-early April of 1909, a counter-revolution erupted in the Empire. During this turmoil, a systematic massacre took place in the city of Adana (in Cilicia), where 20-30 thousand innocent Armenians lost their lives. Eventually, the Constitutional movement was victorious and the Sultan was deposed.
Soon after the Adana massacre, negotiations started between the ARF-D and the CUP. These negotiations were concluded by an agreement of cooperation, which was signed by both parties in August 3rd of the same year.
This document, along with 40 others related to the constitutional movement, are published recently in “Niuter Hay Heghapokhagan Dashnaktsutyun Badmutian Hamar” (Documents for the ARF History), Volume VI, in Beirut Lebanon. This volume contains also 18 documents concerning the Adana massacres.
The ARF-D archives contain both the Armenian and the Turkish (Ottoman) texts of this agreement, which bear the consecutive call numbers 1716Kim-13 and 1716Kim-13a. Armen Garo and Vahan Papazian, from the ARF, and Dr. Nazim and Midhat Shukru (the third person’s signature is not legible) signed this agreement (see images).
