File 2764/1904 Pt 3 'Baghdad Railway: general negotiations 1910-1912.' [‎200r] (410/544)

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BAGDAD RAILWAY.
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[September 26.]
SECRET.
Section 2.
[34682]
No. 1.
Mr. O’Beirne to Sir Edward Grey—(Received September 26.)
(No. 380. Confidential.)
^ ir ’ TQAm + , +1 * . „ St - Petersburgh, September 17, 1910.
I SAID yesterday to tlie Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs that 1 supposed there
was no truth m the recent rumours as to the negotiation of a military convention
between Turkey and Germany and Austria. M. Sazonow said that he did not believe
in the conclusion of a military convention. Turkey would, in his opinion, not incur
the ill-will of Great Britain and Russia by taking such a step. But he thought that
there had been conversations between her and the two central European Powers with
regard to railways in Asia Minor. He suspected that this matter had been touched on
by Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. m Manenbad and by Djavid Bey in Berlin, and he appeared to think
that Austria had acted as an intermediary between the other two Powers.
His Excellency said that his principal reason for fancying that something of the
kind indicated had been taking place was the attitude assumed bv the Turkish
Government in the question of the Samsun-Sivas railway. Russia and France had
been moving for the concession for this railway, of which Russia held the option as
against any Power other than Turkey herself. The Ottoman Government had made
difficulties about granting a concession, expressing an intention of constructing the line
themselves. In reality it was Germany that desired to include this line in her Anatolian
railway system, and M. Sazonow suspected that a plan was in contemplation by which
Germany would finance the construction of the railway, which would be nominally
undertaken by the Turkish Government. The position taken up by Russia was that
Turkey was at liberty to build the railway if she could find the means required for so
doing “ within the limits of her budget.”
M. Sazonow remarked to me that the Samsun-Sivas railway had a certain
importance, but it was as nothing compared to that of a trans-Persian line which would
connect the Russian and the British-Indian systems. That, he said, was the real
counter-move to make to the Bagdad Railway scheme, but he feared that Anglo-Indian
opinion was not yet ripe for it. He was far from underrating the value of the
Anglo-Russian Agreement of 1907. That was “ a great thing ” accomplished, but his
Excellency gave me to understand that it would, in his opinion, never yield the full
value of which it was capable until it was completed by the adoption of the
trans-Persian railway scheme, which would, he said, reduce the Bagdad line to a
position of entire insignificance.
I have, &c.
HUGH O’BEIRNE.
[2921 cc—2]
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