ИСТИНА

Prospects for solving the Balkan issue in the plans of the Russian and Ottoman empires in the early twentieth century After a series of Russian-Turkish wars ended in 1878, in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, a new strategic line was developed in relations with the Ottoman Empire. Russian diplomats A.P. Izvolsky, N.V. Charykov, M.N. Girs are looking for ways to peaceful coexistence of the two countries, and, if possible, for an alliance in confrontation with the Central Powers bloc. The urgent task of Russian diplomacy is to prevent the participation of the Ottoman Empire in a possible war on the side of the opponents of Russia. Russian diplomacy, unfortunately, could not solve this problem. Diplomatic documents stored in the Archives of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, indicate the existence of a Russian plan for the creation of the Balkan Federation under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire. Russia's activities to create the Balkan Federation intensified after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908. In 1910, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs developed a plan for the possible unification of the Balkan states into a single Balkan federation headed by the Ottoman Empire. This idea was developed by Charykov, the Russian ambassador to Constantinople in 1909-1911. He and Russian Foreign Minister Izvolsky considered the creation of such a federation the optimal solution to the Balkan problems by peaceful means. Russian diplomacy sought to smooth over the contradictions in the Balkans and normalize the relations of the young states with the Ottoman Empire. Already on the eve of the First Balkan War, Russian diplomats managed to secure a promise from the Turkish Foreign Minister to provide local self-government in the Ottoman Empire’s territory to the Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians. Russian envoy to Constantinople N.V. In 1911, Charykov negotiated with the Turkish leadership on a Russian-Turkish treaty. The draft treaty included a clause on the opening of the Straits for the passage of Russian military courts. This episode of Russian-Turkish relations entered the history of diplomacy as “Charykov’s demarche”. Formation of the Balkan Union and the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. meant the failure of the Russian model of peaceful coexistence of the Balkan states on the basis of confederation, including the autonomization of European Turkey. Immediately after the end of the two Balkan wars, their disastrous consequences for the development of relations between the Balkan countries became apparent. Was there an alternative to an armed solution of the Balkan question? Russian diplomats N.V. Charykov and V.N. Strandtman, who worked in the Balkans in the early twentieth century talked about this in their memoirs. Their memories suggest that they perceived the situation in the Balkans differently. Shtrandtman, who worked at the Russian embassy in Constantinople just during the “demarche of Charykov”, was suspicious of the idea of a federation of Balkan states, promoted by Charykov. The Russian ambassador to Serbia, Gartvig, also objected to him, while the Russian foreign ministry considered this plan important and realistic. However, Shtrandtman, like Charykov, testifies that in the period under study Russia sought to resolve the situation in the Balkans by peaceful means.