“Gentlemen, I don’t think it is necessary any further to compare the principles underlying the Lausanne Peace Treaty with other proposals for peace. This treaty, is a document declaring that all efforts, prepared over centuries, and thought to have been accomplished through the Sevres Treaty to crush the Turkish nation have been in vain. It is a diplomatic victory unheard of in the Ottoman history!”
M. Kemal Atatürk, The Great Speech, 1927
Today marks the 103rd anniversary of the Lausanne Peace Treaty—a landmark agreement through which Türkiye regained its full political and economic sovereignty after one of the most turbulent periods in its history. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the imposition of the unjust Treaty of Sèvres, and the immense hardships of the Turkish War of Independence, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Turkish nation saw their aspirations for independence and national sovereignty realized with the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne.
The Lausanne Peace Conference concluded on July 24, 1923, with the signing of a peace agreement between the Turkish delegation, led by General İsmet İnönü, and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia), Belgium, Portugal, and the Soviet Union. The conference followed more than eight months of arduous negotiations, during which Türkiye steadfastly defended its right to full independence and sovereign equality.
On this day 103 years ago, Türkiye emerged from the Lausanne negotiations with its independence internationally recognized, securing its rightful sovereignty and laying the foundation for the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye just three months later.
Among the successor states of the empires that collapsed after World War I, Türkiye distinguished itself by pursuing a policy of peace and stability rather than joining the revisionist bloc that emerged in Europe during the 1930s. The enduring significance of the Lausanne Treaty—and the century of relative peace it has helped sustain—can be attributed to the realistic and equitable balance achieved between the former belligerents during the negotiations.
On this historic anniversary, we extend our warmest wishes to all Turkish Americans.
Happy Lausanne Anniversary!
Photo Caption: İsmet İnönü, Turkish Foreign Minister and head of the Turkish delegation, signs the Lausanne Peace Treaty at the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 24, 1923.