GERMAN-ARMENIAN SOCIETY’S EFFORTS TO DEVELOP CULTURAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLES IN 1918-1921

Abstract

In 1914, by the initiative of Johannes Lepsius the German-Armenian Society (GAS) was
set up in Berlin to promote the cooperation of German and Armenian peoples on cultural
grounds and establish strong and lasting relations between them. However, two months after
the establishment of the society, World War I broke out, under the guise of which tragic events
happened in Western Armenia, which cancelled the original plan of the society, and its primary
goal became the organization of the salvation of endangered Armenians. GAS returned to its
original mission only after the establishment of peace and the declaration of an independent
Armenian state in the South Caucasus. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the
work the society had been doing to achieve its goals since its establishment.