Treaty of Lausanne; It is an international peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 24, 1923, after the victory in the War of Independence. This treaty enabled the Republic of Turkey to be recognized in terms of international law. The Treaty contains provisions on Turkey’s borders, administration and relations with other states. After the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was recognized as a state within the framework of international law.
Treaty; It envisages the borders of Turkey, the free management of Turkey in accordance with international law, the regulation of Turkey’s relations with other states and the functioning of Turkey in accordance with the rules of international law. With the representatives of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Signed at the Beau-Rivage Palace on the shores of Lake Leman by representatives of the British Empire, the French Republic, the Kingdom of Italy, the Japanese Empire, the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Treaty of Lausanne is a document that has been prepared for the Turkish nation for centuries and declares the collapse of a great destruction attempt that is thought to have been completed with the Treaty of Sèvres.
Under the leadership of İsmet Pasha, Minister of Health Rıza Nur and former Minister of Economy Hasan Bey represented the Turkish Grand National Assembly. This treaty, signed on July 24, 1923, was signed by İsmet Pasha on behalf of Turkey.
Articles of the Treaty of Lausanne
Articles of the Treaty of Lausanne; It is organized in 5 sections and consists of 143 items in total.
- Turkey-Syria Border: The borders drawn in the Ankara Agreement signed with France in 1921 were accepted. (It took its present form when Hatay joined the Republic of Turkey in 1939.)
- Turkey-Iraq Border: It could not be resolved due to the Mosul and Kirkuk problems. (With the Ankara Agreement signed in 1926, Mosul was left to Iraq under British mandate.)
- Turkey – USSR Border: The borders drawn in the Moscow and Kars Agreements signed in 1921 were accepted.
- Turkey – Iran Border: The border determined by the Kasr-ı Şirin Treaty signed in 1639 remained the same.
- Turkey – Greece Border: The Meriç River has been accepted as the border between the two countries. Karaağaç was taken from Greece as war reparations.
- Turkey – Bulgaria Border: It remained in accordance with the 1913 Istanbul Treaty and the Nöyyi Treaty signed by Bulgaria after the 1st World War.
- Islands: Bozcada, Gökçeada and Rabbit Islands were left to Turkey, Dodecanese, Meis and Rhodes to Italy, Cyprus to England, and the remaining islands to Greece.
- All capitulations have been lifted.
- The management of the Straits was left to an international commission, whose chairmanship was left to Turkey, under the guarantee of the League of Nations. (Turkey provided all control over the straits with the 1936 Montreux Convention.)
- All minorities in Turkey are considered Turkish citizens.
- Greeks and Turks will be exchanged, with the exception of the Turks in Komotini and Thessaloniki and the Greeks in Istanbul, Bozcaada and Gökçeada.
- No compensation will be paid to the victors of World War I.
- The foreign debts of the Ottoman State will be divided in proportion to the incomes and sizes of the states that left the empire.
- The Duyun-i Umumiye, which was established in 1881, will be abolished.
- Foreign schools in Turkey will continue to provide education in accordance with the principles of National Education.
- Fener Greek Patriarchate remained in Istanbul.
Duration of the Treaty of Lausanne
The Lausanne Peace Treaty was made at a time when Turkey was struggling for independence during the National Struggle movement. While this treaty set an example for other world nations, it continued to maintain its effect as one of the longest-lasting peace treaties until today. It does not contain any article or regulation that prevents the extraction of Turkey’s underground riches. The treaty does not have a term definition. It has been observed that there is no regulation regarding the expiration of the term in the text of the Lausanne Peace Treaty and there is no information about it.
