Alexander Khatisian

Alexander Khatisian (Armenian: Ալեքսանդր Խատիսեան; 17 February 1874 – 10 March 1945) was an Armenian politician, doctor and journalist.¹

Biography

In a letter to his wife, the first prime minister of Armenia, Hovhannes Kajaznuni, described Khatisian as a person with "inexhaustible energy and a strange ability to work". Adding that "he has entrepreneurship (initiative), strong nerves, he understands issues quickly, he has a lot of administrative experience. able to adapt and find the middle line … he is the most valued member of my cabinet today, unfortunately he has no moral authority, does not inspire faith and confidence in his personality, and this greatly hinders the work."²

Khatisian was born in Tiflis in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire (Tbilisi, Georgia) to a prominent Armenian family of noble origins. He first studied at a state school in Tiflis, then received his training as a doctor at universities in Moscow, Kharkov and Germany.³

He served as the mayor of Tiflis from 1910 to 1917. During this period Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov consulted with him, Primate of Tiflis Bishop Mesrop Der-Movsesian, and prominent civic leader Dr. Hakob Zavriev about the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments in the summer of 1914, which Khatisian enthusiastically supported and organized.⁴ In 1917, Khatisian became a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.³

In the lead up to the establishment First Republic of Armenia, he served as a member from the to the and later to the permanent executive committee selected by . After declaration of the First Republic of Armenia, he served as foreign minister and signed the with the . He served as interior minister January–April 1920 following the death of , then served as from May 1919 to May 1920, resigning in the aftermath of the Bolshevik-led . After his resignation, he sought aid for the Republic of Armenia in various European capitals. On December 3, 1920, an Armenian delegation led by Khatisian signed the with Kemalist Turkey, though the government it represented no longer existed (power had already been transferred to the new Soviet authorities), making the treaty illegal.