Georgian-Armenian War of 1918 – 24 Days
In March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, which returned the territories that Russia had taken during the Russo-Turkish War back to the Ottoman Empire. However, these territories had not been under the control of the Russian central government, but rather they were controlled through the Transcaucasian Sejm, which was made up of Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis. The Ottomans wanted to control the territories themselves and started a military campaign.
The Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis quickly declared themselves independent states. On June 4, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Batum, which brought an end to the fighting. However, the borders of the countries were not clearly defined. The southern half of the ethnically-Armenian Lori Province was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. The Georgians wanted to make sure that the Ottomans did not have a direct route to Tbilisi, so they took possession of northern Lori and created outposts along the Dzoraget River.
Things took a turn for the worst when the Ottomans pulled back from southern Lori in October 1918. The Armenians quickly moved in and eliminated the buffer that was once between Georgia and Armenia. Border clashes started immediately and both sides began mobilizing greater border security. The Georgians began tightening their control over Armenian groups within their borders, disarming them and confiscating their property. The Armenians in Georgia rose up against the oppressive regime in December 1918, and this was enough to escalate the tensions between Georgia and Armenia into war on December 7.
The war continued between the two parties until December 31, when the British were able to broker a ceasefire between the two countries. Both Georgian and Armenian troops left the disputed areas as per the peace agreement. The Lori district then became a neutral zone under the administration of both Armenia and Georgia.