Convention between Italy and Turkey, 1932
Encyclopedia
The Convention between Italy and Turkey, signed in Ankara
on January 4, 1932, by the Italian
Plenipotentiary, Ambassador Pompeo Aloisi, and the Turkish
foreign minister Tevfik Rüştü Aras
, settled a dispute that had arisen in the aftermath of the Treaty of Lausanne
of 1923, about the sovereignty over a number of small islets and the delimitation of the territorial waters
between the coast of Anatolia
and the island of Kastellórizo, which was an Italian possession since 1921.
Through the convention, the islets situated inside the bay of the harbour of Kastellorizo, along with the islands of Rho and Strongili
further off, were assigned to Italy, while all other islets in the surrounding area were assigned to Turkey.
Moreover, the Italian Government recognised the sovereignty of Turkey over the Aegean islet of Kara Ada (Greek:
Arcos), situated in front of the town of Bodrum
.
In an Appendix signed in December of the same year, the two countries agreed to extend the convention delimiting the sea border between the Anatolian coast and the Italian Dodecanese
. This was done by defining thirty five points which were equidistant between Italian and Turkish territory.
The validity of the appendix became a political issue in the context of the Aegean dispute
in 1996, after the Imia/Kardak
crisis. The Turkish government has rejected it as legally invalid, on the grounds that it was not deposited at the League of Nations
in Geneva
. This, according to the Turkish view, means that the sovereignty over an unknown number of small islets and rocks in the Dodecanese may be still undefined. However, the validity of the convention itself, with respect to Kara Ada and the Kastellórizo region, is not under dispute.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
on January 4, 1932, by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Plenipotentiary, Ambassador Pompeo Aloisi, and the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
foreign minister Tevfik Rüştü Aras
Tevfik Rüstü Aras
Tevfik Rüştü Aras was a Turkish politician, serving as deputy and foreign minister of Turkey during the Atatürk era .-Early years:...
, settled a dispute that had arisen in the aftermath of the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
of 1923, about the sovereignty over a number of small islets and the delimitation of the territorial waters
Territorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
between the coast of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and the island of Kastellórizo, which was an Italian possession since 1921.
Through the convention, the islets situated inside the bay of the harbour of Kastellorizo, along with the islands of Rho and Strongili
Strongili
Strongyli Kastellorizou , also called Strongili or Ipsili, is a Greek islet which lies in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, about five nautical miles south-east of the island of Kastelorizo. The island is about 1.5 km long, and up to 700 m wide. It covers an area of about 0.9 km2. It is...
further off, were assigned to Italy, while all other islets in the surrounding area were assigned to Turkey.
Moreover, the Italian Government recognised the sovereignty of Turkey over the Aegean islet of Kara Ada (Greek:
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Arcos), situated in front of the town of Bodrum
Bodrum
Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
.
In an Appendix signed in December of the same year, the two countries agreed to extend the convention delimiting the sea border between the Anatolian coast and the Italian Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
. This was done by defining thirty five points which were equidistant between Italian and Turkish territory.
The validity of the appendix became a political issue in the context of the Aegean dispute
Aegean dispute
The Aegean dispute is a set of interrelated controversial issues between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty and related rights in the area of the Aegean Sea. This set of conflicts has had a large effect on Greek-Turkish relations since the 1970s. It has twice led to crises coming close to the...
in 1996, after the Imia/Kardak
Imia/Kardak
Imia is a pair of two small uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea, situated between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. They lie west of the coast of Muğla Province, east of the Greek island Kalymnos, and southeast of the nearest small Greek...
crisis. The Turkish government has rejected it as legally invalid, on the grounds that it was not deposited at the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. This, according to the Turkish view, means that the sovereignty over an unknown number of small islets and rocks in the Dodecanese may be still undefined. However, the validity of the convention itself, with respect to Kara Ada and the Kastellórizo region, is not under dispute.