Russo-Persian Treaty of 1723

a treaty signed on September 12 (23) in St. Petersburg by Peter I and by the Persian ambassador Ismail Beg on behalf of Shah Tahmasp. The treaty stipulated that Russia would provide armed aid to Persia in fighting against the rebel Afghan tribes that had invaded Persian territory, as well as against the Turks. In return, Shah Tahmasp recognized that Derbent and Baku with their adjacent lands belonged to Russia and ceded to Russia the Caspian provinces of Gilan, Mazanderan, and Asterabad (later returned to Persia under the Resht Treaty of 1732).

The Russo-Persian Treaty of 1723 proclaimed the establishment of permanent friendship between the two countries and freedom of trade and movement for their subjects. In concluding this treaty, Peter mainly endeavored to stop Turkish aggression in the area of the Caspian Sea and to maintain an independent Persia as a balance against Turkey.