Press Coverage of Greece Prime Minister Venı̇zelos' Visit to Turkey

Abstract

After gaining its independence, in order to realise its ‘Megali Idea’ goal, Greece, which constantly acted with the understanding of gaining territory from the Ottoman Empire, pursued an aggressive policy against the Ottoman Empire. After the signing of the Armistice of Mondros, the Greeks, who occupied Izmir on 15 May 1919 with the support of the British, expanded their occupation areas in a short time. The Greek army, which suffered a great defeat against the Turkish Army in the Turkish War of Independence led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, was expelled from Anatolia. The Greek adventure in Anatolia caused deep wounds in Turkish-Greek relations. Although the Treaty of Lausanne established an atmosphere of peace between Turkey and Greece, it was not easy to establish trust between the two countries. Atatürk adopted the principle of abandoning historical enmities and establishing peace in relations between countries and took all kinds of courageous steps. Turkish-Greek relations have been the most striking example of this. In 1928, Venizelos, who won the elections and came to power, learnt the necessary lessons from the Anatolian adventure, and despite the opposition in his country, he showed the courage to establish friendly relations with Turkey. He visited Turkey between 27-31 October 1930. This visit, during which a number of agreements were signed in Ankara, not only led to the resolution of many problems between the two countries, but also contributed greatly to the development of friendship and co-operation. The friendship and cooperation between Turkey and Greece was an important step towards the establishment of the Balkan Treaty. The fact that Venizelos, who had come to Istanbul to contribute to the Balkan Treaty negotiations despite his fall from power, nominated Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize shortly before the signing of the treaty is important in terms of showing the point of friendship between the two countries.