The Armenian delegation at the Berlin Congress was a diplomatic mission led by Archbishop Mkrtich Khrimian, whose objective was to advocate for the interests of Ottoman Armenians before the Great Powers following the Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. This congress marked the inception of the Armenian Question.
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 witnessed Russian advances in Ottoman Armenia, with the imperial army successfully capturing Bayazet and Kars between late 1877 and early 1878. As they advanced, irregular Kurdish troops and bashi-bazouks looted and burned several Armenian border villages, leading Armenians in the region to welcome the Russians as liberators. The Russian generals in command of this frontâÂÂMikhail Loris-Melikov, Arshak Ter-Gukasov, and Ivan LazarevâÂÂwere themselves Armenians.
In the meantime, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Nerses Varzhapetyan, and the Armenian National Assembly viewed this triumph as a potential opportunity. They directed the Armenian bishop of Adrianople to request that Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, who had taken control of the city, incorporate stipulations regarding the autonomy of the Armenian provinces within the Ottoman Empire in the proposed peace treaty. The Grand Duke expressed positive sentiments towards this proposition.
The Armenians were able to secure Article 16 of the Treaty of San Stefano (dated March 3, 1878) from the Russian negotiators. This article provided immediate reforms for Ottoman Armenians. The text of the article is provided below for reference:
The term "administrative autonomy" was initially employed instead of "improvements and reforms," but the text was subsequently modified at the behest of the British.
The troops under the command of Loris-Melikov were charged with the occupation of Erzurum until Tsar Alexander II could be assured of the protection of the local Christian populations. Consequently, these reforms were subject to Russia's control as the occupying power.
The United Kingdom, under the leadership of Benjamin Disraeli, and Austria-Hungary expressed concern regarding the Russian expansion at the expense of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent weakening of the latter. In response, the British requested the organization of a congress. Consequently, the Treaty of San Stefano was revised during the Congress of Berlin, held in the summer of 1878.
An Armenian delegation, headed by Mkrtich Khrimian (accompanied notably by ) and comprising another archbishop and two deputies from the Armenian Assembly, proceeded to the congress with the approval of Nerses Varzhapetyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. The objective was to present a project for the administrative autonomy of Armenia, inspired by the 1861 status of Lebanon. The plan proposed the appointment of an Armenian governor in Erzurum by the Ottoman government, the implementation of judicial, fiscal, and police reforms under the control of an international commission, the formation of mixed Christian-Muslim militias, the extension of male suffrage, and the local utilization of tax revenues. On their way to the congress, the delegation visited European capitals intending to influence the diplomats attending Berlin. In London, they met with the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Salisbury, who was unable to offer any guarantees. Their meetings with diplomats in Paris and Rome were similarly unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Khoren Nar Bey Kalfayan was dispatched to Saint Petersburg to deliver a memorandum to Tsar Alexander II, requesting autonomy for the Armenian provinces.
Regrettably, Mkrtich Khrimian's delegation was not permitted to attend the congress proceedings, a decision that was met with considerable disappointment.
The Congress resulted in the Treaty of Berlin (July 13, 1878), where Article 61, concerning the Armenians, represented a dilution of the promises outlined in Article 16 of the Treaty of San Stefano. The reforms that had been promised were now the sole responsibility of the Ottoman Empire. While the document mentioned the need for reforms in the Armenian provinces, it placed their implementation under the supervision of the powers, a concerted effort that was unlikely to succeed:
On the day of the treaty's signing, Mkrtich Khrimian sent a letter to the diplomats expressing his regret that his legitimate and modest demands had been ignored. "The Armenians have come to understand that they have been misled, that their rights have not been acknowledged because they have pursued a policy of peaceful resistance. The Armenian delegation returns to the East, bearing this understanding with it. Nevertheless, it declares that the Armenian people will persist in making their voices heard until Europe meets their just demands," he concluded in his letter.
Upon his return, Khrimian was inspired to deliver a renowned sermon at the Armenian Cathedral in Constantinople's Kumkapñ district:
Because the principalities of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro were liberating themselves from Ottoman rule by force of arms during the Russo-Turkish war and then by diplomacy at the Congress of Berlin, Mkrtich Khrimian could only urge his compatriots to take up arms themselves in order to achieve self-determination. The Armenian delegation at the Congress of Berlin, and the sermon delivered afterward by its leader, constituted a significant factor in the gradual emergence of the Armenian national liberation movement.
The initial mention of the Armenian Question at an international conference marked its transition into an international issue. Despite this, Article 61, which was designed to address the issue, was never implemented. Russia consented to withdraw its troops before the implementation of the reforms, which resulted in the exodus of numerous Armenians to Russia. The Treaty of Berlin, however, became a source of hope for Armenians while also feeding Ottoman authorities' mistrust of this minority, now perceived as a persistent threat to the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire. In an address to the Armenian National Assembly, Nerses Varzhapetyan articulated his hope that future reforms would be based on Article 61 while proclaiming Armenians' loyalty to the Ottoman Empire.
Following the Congress, the Armenian Question was largely eclipsed by the Great Powers, who were preoccupied with the expansion of their colonial empires in Africa and Asia. They favored economic imperialism as a means of extending their influence in the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, until 1881, the Great Powers limited themselves to sending largely similar notes to the Sultan, reminding him of his obligations. However, their joint initiative subsequently faltered: Germany and Austria withdrew, and Russia, now under the rule of Alexander III following his father's assassination that same year, lost interest in the Armenian Question. Armenians in the Empire's eastern provinces continued to endure mistreatment, as evidenced by the documentation of such incidents by British consuls stationed in the region.