The Treaty of Lausanne: A story of survival and ambivalence

This year marks the centenary of the Lausanne Treaty, a treaty that has survived a number of twists and turns in world history. While it continues to largely define the status quo between Greece and Turkey, the spirit of the treaty has also been interpreted differently in both countries, with Greeks seeing the treaty as a painful, but necessary basis for peace, while for Turks the spirit of Lausanne is summed up in a single word – sovereignty. Bruce Clark, a contributor to The Economist and the author of Twice A Stranger: How Mass Expulsion Forged Modern Greece and Turkey and Athens, City of Wisdom, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what the Treaty of Lausanne has meant on either side of the Aegean, explaining that while this difference in views may pose risks, a world without Lausanne would be much more dangerous.Read Bruce Clark’s latest piece in Kathimerini: Survival and ambivalence: The story of LausanneYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Russian consular services in occupied areas stirs debateTASS: Russia to provide consular services in occupied CyprusTurkey inflation: Erdogan's policy U-turn tests patience