‘Confidential. Persia’ [‎515r] (79/112)

No. 1.
Mbmobandttm communicated by Count Benckendobff.
22 nd February 1903.
“ Lorsquela Russip, pour etablir son aufcorite dans
ses possessions d’As’e Centrale, a du gTadu“]leinent
etendre ses frontieres, elle en faisaifc Tobjet de
pourparlers avec le Gouvernement Britannique.
Ces pourparlers, en tames en 1869, lors de Tentrevue
du Prince Gortcbacow avee Lord Clarendon a
Heidelberg, ont ete repris par M. D. Forsyth,
autorise par le Yice-roi des Indes Lord Mayo, do
se rendre k Saint Petersbourg, et ont abouti k la
definition d’un commun accord des frontieres de
1 Afghanistan, la Russie ayant donne son adhesion
pleine et entiere a la ligne de demarcation telle
qu^elle etait indiquee dans la depeche de Lord
Granville k Lord Augustus Loftus, en date du 17
Octobre, 1872.
D’un autre cote, le maintien de Fintegrite et
de Findependence de la Perse a ete reconnu sans
conteste comme base de la politique de la Russia efc
de la Grande-Bretagne k Fegard de ce pays.
II parait done naturel qu’actuellement quelque
modification notable dans le statu quo sur la
frontiere Perso-Afghane ne saurait s'operer au cas
oil Fune des Grandes Puissances croirait devoir i'y
opposer.
No 1.
Memorandum communicated to Count Benciendobfp.
Foreign Office,
2nd March 1903.
“ The unofficial memorandum received from the
Russian Ambassador refers to the agreements
which have been arrived at between Great Britain
and Russia on two points
(1) the frontier of Afghanistan in so far as
they adjoin territory belonging to
Russia or to States under Russian
protection;
(2) the engagement to maintain the integrity
and independence of Persia.
These subjects have always hitherto been treated
as distinct from one another.
“ The despatch from Lord Granville of the 17th
October 1872, to which the memorandum refers,
dealt with Afghanistan, and mentioned those
portions of the Afghan frontiers in which Russia
rmght be considered to be interested, beginning
with Badakshan on the north-east and ending
with the western frontier between the dependencies
of Herat and those of the Persian frontier of
Khorasan, which were described as ‘ well known.’
“ No mention was made of Seistan, or of the
arbitral award of Sir F. Goldsmid, which had been
pronounced two months before, but in which it
was not considered that Russia had any interest.
“ Prince Gortchakow, in his reply of the 7th
December, made no allusion to the Perso-Afghan
frontier, nor was it in the ensuing negotiations
discussed between tbe two Governments.
“On the other band, the Russian Government
while professing their continued adhesion to the
principle of maintaining the integrity of Persia,
have contended that the delimitation of the
frontier between Persia and Russia was a matter
for Russia and Persia alone, in which they could
not recognise a right of interposition on the part
of any other power.