The 87th Anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne

Below is His Excellency President Abdullah Gül’s message on the 87th Anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne:

“Today, we are celebrating one of the foundation stones of modern Turkey: The 87th Anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne.

The Treaty of Lausanne was a diplomatic victory despite all the negative conditions of the time despite those who considered Turkey as a country losing World War 1. Upon the foundation of this treaty rose the Republic of Turkey, a democratic, secular and social law state.

Behind this treaty is our national struggle for independence that our nation self-sacrificially carried into victory with its blood, souls and determination. The Treaty of Lausanne which crowned our national struggle is also one of the milestones of our diplomatic history. Turkey, on the one hand, made historic attempts towards development right after the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, while on the other hand it began to pursue a peaceful foreign policy well beyond its time on the basis of the great leader Atatürk’s principle of “Peace at home, peace in the world”.

We have made great progress on the basis of this understanding and on the path of getting beyond the level of the modern states throughout the 87-year history of the Republic. Turkey with its great dexterities and developments has become one of the esteemed members of the international community. Our target, without doubt, has always been toward the better and the further.

The Treaty of Lausanne is a historical document that demonstrates our country’s wish to live in peace, security and prosperity in the multi-dimensional geography where it is located. Our country established peace thanks to this treaty with the powers against which it had displayed its determination during the national struggle of independence and has become an ally of the western countries as well as being an integral part of the West on the foundation of their common values. Today, Turkey’s stance and resoluteness towards its membership of the EU should be evaluated within the framework of this historic orientation.

Turkey keeps the spirit of Lausanne alive with its tangible contributions to the regional and global peace. We as a nation have no choice other than looking towards the future by rejecting every sort of animosity and disintegration no matter what the source of each may be, being in the spirit of tolerance and solidarity and avoiding getting stuck in the darkness of history all the while learning from these. As long as we make efforts to raise our future generations better and to hand down our land and state in an improved fashion to them, the path and future in front of our country will be bright and open.

I wholeheartedly celebrate the 87th Anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne which consolidated our political and economic independence and remember the great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the members of the then Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), the esteemed statesman, İsmet İnönü, conducting the negotiations in Lausanne and the other members of his delegation, all of whom made this historic turning point of our history happen, with respect and gratitude.”