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Articles

• Tsirpanlis, Zacharias N.

In 1912, the Italians occupied the Dodecanese with the exception of thelittle island of Kastellorizo. Between 1913 and 1915, after a rebellion, theislanders declared union with Mother Greece. But towards the end of December1915, the French navy proceeded to the occupatio bellica of Kastellorizo,for reasons of military security against a hostile Turkey. The Frenchremained on the island until 1 March 1921, when they handed it over to theItalians, despite the islanders’ opposition. Turkey refused to recognise thisaction by the French, and some hard negotiating took place between the Turksand the Italians over the fate of Kastellorizo, until the issue was finallyresolved by the Treaty of Lausanne on 24 July 1923.The writer uses unpublished documents of the able diplomat CamilleBarrère (1851-1940), French Ambassador to Rome (1897-1924), to trace thecourse of the Italo-Turkish negotiations. Barrère’s reports paint a faintlyironic picture of the untenable arguments presented by the two parties desiringto acquire an island inhabited exclusively by Greeks.In the writer’s opinion, the ultimate cession of the island to Italy in 1923was a positive step, because, after the Second World War, the island, like therest of the Dodecanese, was incorporated into Greece, in accordance with theprinciples of international public law. Its fate would have been tragic today,had it been awarded to Turkey in 1923.

• History and Archaeology

• Ιστορία

Camille Barrère, Ιταλοτουρκική διαφορά στο Καστελλόριζο το 1923

Το άρθρο είναι αφιερωμένο στη μνήμη της Αντωνίας Πίστα. In memory of Antonia Pista