84 Ë War, Independence, and Reconquest, 1914–21
Fig. 4.3.Noe Ramishvili (left, minister of internal aairs), and Noe Zhordania (right, prime minister),
Tiflis, 1918.
Nonetheless, the Ottomans continued their military advance, demanding further
concessions from the new state and threatening to take over Ti is, its capital. The
Ottoman goal was to place Transcaucasia and Persian Azerbaijan under its control
and secure the oil elds of Baku. Although this move did not disturb the Azeris, it
greatly disquieted the Georgians and Armenians. The Ottoman territorial demands
amounted to a virtual destruction of Armenian territory and a vast erosion of what
Georgia claimed as its own. Moreover, the Ottoman move perturbed Germany, which
also eyed the Baku oil elds and the manganese deposits in Georgia. The Ottomans
thus wrought divisions within the brand-new Transcaucasian government. Georgia
decided to turn to Germany for protection, and, with Germany ready to oblige, de-