As the Treaty of Lausanne originally signed on July 24, 1923, reaches its century, will Türkiye be able to regain the Ottoman territories it had lost after the World War 1 defeat? What are the current standings of the Treaty? And what lies ahead for Türkiye’s future?
The Treaty of Lausanne:
As Türkiye ( or Ottoman Empire at that time) was on the losing side after WW1 ended, they had to sign a peace treaty with the victors. The treaty of Sevres - signed in 1920 - had greatly pushed Türkiye’s borders to a limited area and divided the remaining lands among the triumphant side. Türkiye had been reduced to a miserable and feeble state.
However, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the nation revolted and stood up against all odds to regain its territories. Hence as a result of the Turkish national movements, the new modern-day Türkiye was shaped and a new treaty viz. The Treaty of Lausanne was signed. Although it had regained some lands, Türkiye still had to cede claims on Cyprus, the Dodecanese Islands, Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Iraq.
According to many conspiracy theories the Treaty had some secret clauses which disallowed Türkiye from mining natural oil and Boron from its territories. Moreover, they believed that the treaty would end after 100 years.
Status of the Centennial Treaty:
Sadly, treaties do not have expiry dates unless explicitly mentioned, which is not the case here. Therefore, the treaty remains in effect until a party revokes it. However, it is highly unlikely for Türkiye to revoke the agreement as doing so would require them to either fight their way out or negotiate a new agreement. Additionally, Türkiye is not currently in a position, politically or economically, to go against Western powers to regain the territories and any new agreement would not be in their favor.
According to the views of many, the secret clauses that were added appeared to be misleading tactics designed to sustain the public's optimism about the restoration of Turkey's past greatness. The intention was to divert the attention of the public from the persisting issues.
However, this centenary anniversary has stimulated protests demanding the end of the injustice towards Kurds. As the Treaty had not only shattered their dreams for a Kurdish State but had separated that land into four states. Hence on July 22, 6000 Kurds marched to recall the lasting consequences of the treaty.
Nonetheless, the treaty has endured for a painstaking amount of time and there is still no sign of its expiry. As the historian Jonathan Conlin put it this way:
"I think it (the treaty) has endured because everyone's equally unhappy about it."
Final thoughts:
While the Treaty may not culminate in a glorious resurgence of the nation, Türkiye ambitiously gazes toward its 2030 vision, envisioning numerous forthcoming developments and achievements.
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