The question of the Egean islands

The question of the Egean islands had been relegated for solution to the Concert of Europe by the Treaty of London, but Turkey had little respect for the Concert and determined to defy it in this crisis as she had successfully defied it in the Adrianople affair.

And she was right. The “ voice of Europe,” as the Concert was called, could give utterance only when the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were united, and that was seldom the case. It fell again to Rumania to play the part of deal ex manchette. Determined to maintain the Treaty of Bucharest by which she had profited and acquired such great prestige, she warned Turkey that in case of war between Turkey and Greece she would not see Greece humiliated, and she was supported by Serbia in this action. This relieved the tension between Turkey and Greece, and on November II, 1913, the Treaty of Athens was signed. It disposed of many troublesome problems of domicile, nationality, property, and religion, but did not mention the islands.

Egean islands problem

Greece had fared better than any other combatant in the Balkan wars. She had almost doubled her territory and population, had acquired the greatest prize of the war, Saloniki, had secured possession of the rich tobacco-raising country around Drama and Seres with its port, Kavala, and had occupied the islands of the Aigean for which Greeks had always longed. On December 13, 1913, Great Britain recommended to the Powers that except for Imbros and Tenedos, which controlled the entrance to the Dardanelles, Greece should retain the islands occupied by her troops, including those, like Mitylene and Chios, along the coast of Asiatic Turkey. Despite Turkey’s announcement that she would never consent to such an arrangement, even her friends of the Triple Alliance consented to this solution of the Egean-islands problem.

Greece had hoped to secure also the islands taken by Italy during the Italo-Turkish war, which were to be restored by Italy, according to the Treaty of Lausanne, when certain conditions respecting Tripoli were fulfilled by Turkey. But Italy gave no evidence of intention to relinquish them, and was greatly disturbed by the increase of power and prestige made by Greece in the eastern Mediterranean. It was obvious that Greece was entering upon a great commercial career and was now in a position to control the Near-Eastern trade and trade routes which Italy had hoped to control. The two countries also came into conflict in southern Albania, inhabited by Epirote Greeks. Though Greek troops had evacuated the territory at the demand of the Powers, the rebellion against incorporation with the new state, Albania, was probably led by Greek officers and financed by Greek money.