Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 170 The Paris Peace Talks (Part 1)

Britain sent its Foreign Secretary, Clarendon, while Russia sent its diplomat, Count Orlov. The French Foreign Minister, Count Valevsky, was also in charge of leading the conference. With the addition of envoys from the Ottomans, Sardinia, Austria, Prussia, and other countries, the peace talks that would determine the Near East officially began on June 20th.

Clarendon presented a peace treaty first, the contents of which were basically the same as the previous proposals. However, the issues had been expanded considerably, with the most pressing being the question of the two principalities along the Danube River.

The two Danube principalities, located at the mouth of the Danube River, had always been Ottoman vassals, but were also repeatedly ravaged by Russia. Although Britain, France, and Austria all agreed to suspend Russia's protectorate over the two Danube principalities and to open the Danube to commercial navigation, they could not reach a consensus on what should replace the Russians after they were driven out.

"Based on the principle of popular sovereignty, Romania and the Principality of Moldova should decide their future through a referendum. They can become two countries, or they can become one country."

Count Valevsky proposed unifying the two principalities, which, unsurprisingly, was opposed by both Russia and the Ottomans. This would mean losing them both, and their strategic geographical location meant they would never relinquish them.

"Romania and Moldova need to be placed under the protection of other countries, and history has shown that Russia is capable of doing so."

Amir almost laughed as he watched the Russians' so-called reasoned argument. It was the first time he'd seen a defeated nation so self-righteous; this was the true manifestation of power.

Clarendon remained silent, tacitly agreeing to the move. However, the Austrian Foreign Minister joined the opposition, questioning whether Transylvania would also be annexed if the two countries merged.
"Your Excellency Amir, what is your opinion?"

Valevsky's sudden summons, ostensibly out of respect for Iran, was actually a pawn in their game. After all, a nation that had been holding off European road rollers in the Caucasus for two years was bound to receive some of their advice from others.

"My idea is to respect the opinions of the people of both countries. If the merger is what the people want, then we have no reason to stop it."

That counts as agreement, right? Count Orlov immediately said, "Neither of these countries is ready yet."

"Is it that they were not prepared, or that your country is unwilling to give up what it has gained? Perhaps your country still wants to occupy the Ottomans?"

Seeing that an argument was about to break out, Valevsky quickly changed the subject. Regarding the Christian question within the Ottoman Empire, they jointly signed an international declaration emphasizing the importance of upholding the rights of Christians within the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, they restored the Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to their original state—a demand made by Russia on behalf of the Greeks, a point repeatedly stressed by the Tsar.

The Ottomans also promised reforms, with the Sultan promising non-Muslim subjects complete religious and legal equality, the right to own property, and the right to join the Ottoman army and become civil servants based on merit.

Soon only a few issues remained, including Iran's three demands, which Britain agreed to, France tacitly approved, and Russia opposed.

Count Orlov said this was an insult to the Russian Empire and that a new war might break out.

But Amir did not back down at all. He said, "These are our country's most basic conditions, and most of our territory was taken from us by you 40 years ago. This is just a matter of reclaiming it."

Russia is dreaming if it wants to negotiate without losing territory. "Fine, if a treaty is signed, I'm sure you'll regret today," Count Orlov threatened.

"You don't need to threaten us. Our country's terms for peace talks were released last year. If your country really wants us to regret it, there would be no peace talks today."

According to messages from Iranian spies in Russia, most parts of Russia are experiencing an economic recession. Even in major cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, more and more factories and shops are closing, and unemployed workers are sitting in front of factories demanding re-employment to make up for unpaid taxes. This indicates that Russia's finances have reached their limit; otherwise, he wouldn't be here.

Because of the issues between Iran and Russia, these negotiations were destined to be fraught with difficulties from the outset. Palmerston's letter to Clarendon expressed support for Iran's legitimate demands, and Napoleon III and Wallewsky of France tacitly agreed.

Napoleon III always wanted to see Russia suffer a setback, believing that without a shock, Russia would continue to threaten the European system. Walewski, however, held a more personal view; he not only wanted to see Russia lose territory but also envisioned Polish independence.

Walewski was also half-Polish; his mother was Countess Marie Walewski, and his father was Napoleon I, a man of considerable influence in Europe.

However, seeing that Polish independence would be difficult, he decided to support Iran's demands for now. He said, "Gentlemen, we are here today for peace, please do not quarrel."

"None of our conditions will change. We demand that Russia recognize our current borders. This is our final demand."

Orlov stood up. "I need to report your conditions to the government for a decision. Excuse me."

The Russian representative stormed out in anger, and the negotiations abruptly ended. Meanwhile, representatives from various countries continued to negotiate privately, striving to secure the best possible outcome for their respective nations.

The Ottomans' demands were actually quite few; they simply wanted Russia to withdraw from Ottoman territory. I was just a figurehead; I didn't dare to ask for anything more.

Reshid Pasha, who represented the Ottomans in the peace talks, was truly envious of Iran, which was able to make so many demands on Russia.

These conditions were obtained by Iran at a considerable cost, and the Shah's deeds were also reported to Europe through newspapers. The fact that a monarch could go to the front lines to cheer on the army made Nasser al-Din appear in the image of a medieval monarch leading the charge.

In contrast, the Ottoman Sultan remained in the capital. It would be unfair to say he did nothing, but compared to Nasser al-Din, he was far inferior. Both Shiites and Sunnis praised Nasser al-Din's bravery. Even the Wahhabi acknowledged that Nasser al-Din possessed the courage of Khalid.

Russia actually doesn't have many bargaining chips; their economy is already on the verge of collapse. Although negotiations have temporarily stabilized the banking delegation, Russia cannot restart the war, otherwise they will dump their national debts, which would truly be a sign of their helplessness.

(End of this chapter)