Izmir Is The Most Meaningful City To Tell About Lausanne

Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer, attended the conference titled “The Treaty of Lausanne, the Founding Act of the Republic” on the 99th anniversary of the Lausanne Peace Treaty. President Soyer said, “Lausanne is an official declaration that the defeated has been defeated.”

On the 24th anniversary of the Lausanne Peace Treaty signed on July 1923, 99, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality held a conference titled “Lausanne Treaty, the Founding Act of the Republic”. The President made the opening speech of the conference held at Ahmet Piriştina City Archive and Museum (APİKAM). Tunç Soyerstarted his speech by commemorating the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, who carried out the treaty process, and the Lausanne delegation. President Soyer said, “The Treaty of Lausanne, which was signed nearly a century ago, is unlike the agreements on the founding of many other countries. The principles and sentences of this agreement were written as a result of one of the most important popular resistances in the world. In every line of the agreement, there is the blood of our martyrs who shielded their chests from the fire. The resistance of Anatolia, which grew like an avalanche under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, turned into a liberation with September 9, and an epic of foundation with Lausanne. Our delegation, authorized by the Grand National Assembly under the chairmanship of Atatürk and led by İsmet Pasha, crowned the military victory over Anatolia with a great diplomatic victory on July 24, 1923. It enabled Turkey to be recognized as a 'fully independent' country against the imperialists who imposed Sèvres.

“It is the certificate of honor of our epic of national struggle and liberation”

Stating that the Treaty of Lausanne is a universal document that has affected the fate of not only our country but also different nations that are colonies of the addressee countries, President Soyer said, “In this meeting, we will consider Lausanne with all its social and economic dimensions and shed light on the artificial agendas produced on this historical agreement. . The Treaty of Lausanne is the certificate of honor of our epic of national struggle and liberation. It is a milestone that charts the path from liberation to establishment. Moreover, it is the official declaration that the defeated is defeated. Our free life in this land today is the result of this political victory. I congratulate with all my heart the 99th anniversary of the Lausanne Agreement, which was signed with great diplomatic intelligence under very difficult conditions.

“İzmir is the most meaningful city to describe Lausanne”

Ankara University Turkish Revolution History Institute Director Prof. Dr. Temuçin Faik Ertan, on the other hand, gave comprehensive information about the events in the negotiations in Lausanne and the gains achieved as a result of the signing of the agreement. Expressing that İzmir is of great importance for the Lausanne Peace Treaty, Ertan said, “İzmir is the most accurate and meaningful city to describe and understand Lausanne. The occupation of Izmir was another occupation. It was actually an annexation. After the occupation of Izmir, the resistance increased. Izmir is a city that feels Sevres to the marrow. Since Izmir was liberated, Turkey went to Lausanne with a strong hand. That's why it is meaningful to talk about Lausanne in this city. In the negotiations on where the conference will be held, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted it to be held in İzmir. The liberation of Izmir and Lausanne paved the way for the liberation of Istanbul," he said. Mentioning that the Treaty of Lausanne was sacrificed to social media, Ertan concluded: “History cannot be learned from social media. Didn't those who say that Lausanne is 100 years old never think that we will come to these days? Today we are in its 99th year and Lausanne is still alive.”