Jirair Tutunjian
England and the Ottomans had diplomatic relations as early as during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in late 16th century. Although the Continent was threatened by the Ottomans, the English retained amicable diplomatic relations with the Sublime Porte. Relations between London and Istanbul became warmer at the beginning of the 19th century when Britain began to perceive the Russians as a threat. To ‘contain’ Russia during the Great Game, Britain supported the declining Ottomans and reversed the gains Russia had made in the Caucasus and in Eastern Europe. The climax of the support was the notorious (for Armenians and Russians) Congress of Vienna (*) which nullified concessions the Ottomans had made to Russia at San Stafano.
