The tripartite Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic was formed on 22 April, though due to the ongoing invasion by the Ottoman Empire and the lack of unity among the three groups, it was immediately in a precarious position. The Georgians, afraid for their own country and future, began negotiating with Germany for protection against the Ottomans, which would come in the form of an independent state. On 26 May Tsereteli gave a speech to the Seim stating that from the start the Transcaucasian Republic had been unable to operate due to its people not being unified. On the same day, the Georgian leadership declared an independent state, the Democratic Republic of Georgia. This was followed two days later by Azerbaijan and, finally, Armenia, dissolving the Transcaucasian Republic.