Abstract
As the Ottoman Empire wa having a preiod of retrogression, tsardom Russia grewstronger and because of the wars between these two countries the boundaries in the eastpart of the Ottoman Empire changed consistently. With the pact ofEdirnewhich wassigned as a result of the battle betwen the Ottoman Empire and Russia in 1828-1829,the Ottoman Empire had to acknowledge Russian sovereignty in Caucasia. At the end ofthe battle between the Ottoman Empire and Russia in 1877-1878 which is also knownas the warfare of ninety three, the Ottoman Empire underwent a heavy defeat and lostthe provinces; Kars, Ardahan and Batum. Those three provinces, which were underRussian authority till 1917, were finally added into the boundaries of the OttomanEmpire again on october 1917, after Bolshevik revolution.The Ottoman Empire having been befeated after the World War I, asrequired in Mondros Truce which was signed on October 30th, 1918, had toevacuate Kars, Ardahan and Satum again. However; as a result of a nationalstruggle which was started in Anatolia Kars and Ardahan were taken back. TheSoviet Russia was the only powerful country from which Turkish nation, thattook some important steps in the way of independence from 1919, took supportduring this period. Though the boundary issue was a problem between twosides during mutual negotiations, because of their own expediencies and theconditions of that period both sides had to take steps to get closer. The truce ofMoscow which was signed on March 16th, 1921 had conSiderable contributionin solving the Turkish-Russian boundary problems. With the truce of Kars whichwas signed on October 13th, 1921 it was ensured the boundary that wasdetermined after the truce of Moscow was acknowledged by Azerbaijan,Armenia and Georgia. In 1921-1936, as the Turkish-Russian relationships wereagreeable, there were not any serious disagreements about the boundary issue.However; after 1936, as Turkey got closer to the west, it caused a tensesituation on the Turkish relationships with the Soviets. During second worldwar, the relationships between those two countries came to a point of a breakoff.After World War II, Soviets' demands for land and the arguments about thisissue casued Turkey to have serious toubles. Soviets withdrew their demands ofland only after the death of Stalin.The boundaries between the Ottoman Empire and Iran took shape with the Kasr-iSirin pact which was signed during the reign of Murat IV. During the struggles whichtook place in the following periods between the Ottoman Empire and Iran, there wereno great changes in the boundary between the Ottoman Empire and Iran which wasdrawn with the Kasr-i Sirin pact.The security of the boundaries are crucial for the countries.ln this respect, thecases, which appeared in the Turkey-Iran boundary and threatened the security ofTurkey, were fin all solved thanks to Turkey-Iran boundary pact which was signe in1932.
