RUSSIAN CLAIMS IN BLACK SEA AREAS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23392, 26 December 1945, Page 5

RUSSIAN CLAIMS IN BLACK SEA AREAS

Storm Of Protest Aroused Throughout Turkey

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 23. RUSSIAN claims on extensive areas of the Black Sea coast have aroused a storm of protest throughout Turkeys, says the Istanbul correspondent of the “Daily Mail” The Turkish attitude has considerably hardened after the fierv speech yesterday bv General Kiazim Karabekir, who negotiated the Russian-Turkish Treaty of 1920, under which the Kars, Ardahan and Artwin areas were ceded to Turkey. These are the areas at present disputed.

Addressing the National Assembly, General Karabekir declared they were essential to Turkey. “The Dardanelles is the throat and Kars the backbone of Turkey,” he said. “We do not wish to revive the old Turkish-Russian feud but, if Moscow insists on claiming territory from Turkey, we will shed blood. ’ The Ankara radio to-day dropped reticence in discussing Turkish-Russian relations and declared that the time had come to say “no” to the new Russian claims and added that the world could never be sure to what lengths Russian demands would eventually go. The Kremlin’s attitude had raised the international diplomatic temperature to a level beyond tolerance. The Istanbul newspaper “Vakit” said that if Russia does not drop her claims, Turkey would undoubtedly envisage war. Repudiating the claims of the Soviet, “Georgia.” another Turkish newspaper, stressed that Turkey was not prepared to surrender any territory. According to the Moscow radio an “Armenian National Council” formed by Armenians living in Alexandria has issued a demand that Armenian provinces “seized” by Turkey must be returned to Soviet Armenia. The Council said it would urge the return to Armenia of nationals living abroad.