The Problem of Eastern Thrace at the Lausanne Conference

Abstract

The article examines Bulgaria's attempt at the Lausanne Conference (1922 – 1923) to remove the East Thracian problem from the sphere of Bulgarian- Turkish negotiations and to link its solution with the Great Powers through an international treaty. The refusal of the Turkish delegation to discuss the problem at the international forum diverted it to the field of bilateral Bulgarian-Turkish relations. The obligatory population exchange between Greece and Turkey, adopted by the Lausanne Conference, left no room for hopes for the Bulgarian refugees to return to Eastern Thrace. The Treaty of Lausanne Treaty became the defining document for the rights and freedoms of non-Muslim minorities on Turkish territory, including the Bulgarians remaining within the borders of the Turkish Republic.