Persian Arabesques" by I.J. Korostovetz about the Anglo-Russian Confrontation in Persia, 1913-1917

Abstract

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This article provides an analysis of the Anglo-Russian confrontation in Persia, as well as the policy of tsarist Russia towards this country for the period 1913-1917 through the lenses of political memoirs of the famous Russian diplomat, the Extraordinary Envoy and Plenipotentiary minister in that country, Ivan Jakovlevich Korostovetz' “Persian Arabesques". Of greatest interest is that part of the recollections in which their author appears before us as not only an active participant, but also as the creator of Russian politics in Persia. It covers his diplomatic activities in Persia in 1913-1915, during which, despite the efforts of the Foreign Ministers of Russia and England to smooth out the sharp corners in bilateral relations, especially after the outbreak of the World War I (1914-1918), the Anglo-Russian contradictions extremely aggravated. According to I.J. Korostovetz, he himself was to a large extent responsible for the deterioration of these relations. Moreover, all this happened against the background of the activity of the Turkish-German agents in Persia and their close alliance with the Persian nationalists, who complicated the life of the Russian and British diplomatic missions to the limit and threatened the interests of these countries. In the same part, the author of the memoirs tells about his dismissal in April 1915 from the occupied post by the Russian Foreign minister S.D. Sazonov, and how after few months, he got an appointment as a Manager of the Loan and Account Bank of Persia in Petrograd. Recollections of I.J. Korostovetz represent a critical rethinking of the foreign policy of tsarist Russia, accompanied by the traditional confrontation with England for dominance in Persia. Moreover, comparing the policies of Russia and England in this country, the author of the memoirs comes to the disappointing conclusion that the Persians were more disposed towards England than towards Russia because of the more aggressive policy of the latter. Copyright © 2022 by Cherkas Global University