After entering 1851, the situation in the Near East became increasingly tense. Russia and Austria eyed the Ottoman Empire with covetous gazes, and the Sultan Government invited England and France to mediate the conflict.
Regardless of the price the Ottoman Empire paid, the issue now was that the French government was busy with internal struggles, and the British alone were simply not enough to intimidate Russia and Austria.
In the eyes of the British, the core of this Near East crisis lay with the Russians; as long as they didn't cause trouble, persuading Austria would be easy.
Under this judgement, negotiations between England and Russia began. Undoubtedly, the British didn't believe that the issues could be resolved at the negotiating table, and the main purpose of initiating these negotiations was to buy time.
