The Treaty of Lausanne (1923): The Treaty That Erased Kurdistan from the Map
- Mehmet Özdemir
- May 24
- 7 min read
Introduction
On 24 July 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Switzerland between the Allied powers and the new Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It replaced the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) entirely — and with it, every promise of Kurdish self-determination was erased. Where Sèvres had contained three articles devoted to Kurdish autonomy and independence, Lausanne contained not a single mention of the Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish rights. The word ‘Kurdistan’ — which had appeared in international law for the first time just three years earlier — simply vanished.
The Treaty of Lausanne is the treaty that sealed Kurdistan’s fate. It recognised the Republic of Turkey within its current borders — borders that enclosed millions of Kurds within a state that would deny their very existence for decades. It confirmed the incorporation of Kurdish-populated Mosul into British Mandate Iraq. It left the Kurds of Syria under French mandate rule and the Kurds of Iran under the Pahlavi dynasty. The four-part partition of Kurdistan, which had begun at Chaldiran (1514) and been completed by Sykes-Picot (1916), was now ratified as permanent international law. No Kurdish delegation was invited to Lausanne. No Kurdish voice was heard.
Contents
What Was the Treaty of Lausanne?
The Treaty of Lausanne was signed on 24 July 1923 between the Allied powers (Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania, and Yugoslavia) and the Republic of Turkey. It replaced the unratified Treaty of Sèvres (1920) and formally ended the state of war between the Allies and Turkey following the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923). The treaty recognised the sovereignty of the new Republic of Turkey within its current borders and established Turkey as an equal sovereign state in the international order.
For Turkey, Lausanne was a triumph — the culmination of Atatürk’s military and diplomatic victories, transforming the dictated humiliation of Sèvres into a peace between equals. For the Kurdish people, it was a catastrophe. Every provision for Kurdish autonomy and independence contained in Sèvres was stripped away. The Kurds were not invited to the conference. Their existence as a distinct people was not acknowledged. Kurdistan was erased from the map.
Key Takeaways
• The Treaty of Lausanne contained no mention of Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish rights — erasing the Kurdish people from international law entirely.
• No Kurdish delegation was invited to the Lausanne Conference — the treaty was negotiated about Kurdish territories without any Kurdish participation.
• The treaty recognised Turkey’s borders over eastern Anatolia — incorporating the majority of northern Kurdistan into the Turkish state in exchange for Turkey relinquishing claims to the oil-rich Arab lands.
• Lausanne ratified the four-part partition of Kurdistan (Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran) as permanent international law — a partition that persists unchanged today, over a century later.
Quick Facts
Treaty: Treaty of Lausanne Date: 24 July 1923 Parties: Allied Powers (Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia) and the Republic of Turkey Type: Post-war peace treaty replacing the Treaty of Sèvres Kurdish Provisions: None — the treaty contains no mention of Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish rights Key Negotiators: Lord Curzon (Britain), İsmet İnönü (Turkey) Kurdish Participation: None — no Kurdish delegation was invited Key Trade-off: Turkey received eastern Anatolia (northern Kurdistan); Turkey relinquished claims to oil-rich Arab lands Mosul: Left unresolved; referred to the League of Nations, which awarded it to Iraq in 1926 Significance: Sealed the four-part partition of Kurdistan as permanent international law
Historical Context: The Death of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) had promised Kurdish autonomy and a pathway to independence, but it was immediately rejected by the Turkish nationalist movement under Mustafa Kemal. Between 1919 and 1923, Kemal fought a successful war of independence against Greek, Armenian, French, and Allied forces, defeating every attempt to partition Anatolia. His military victories transformed the balance of power: the Allied powers, exhausted by World War I and unwilling to commit forces to enforce Sèvres, were forced to negotiate a new treaty on Turkey’s terms.
The Lausanne Conference convened in November 1922, with the British delegation led by Lord Curzon and the Turkish delegation led by İsmet İnönü. The conference was notable for who was absent: Syrians and Palestinians attempted to attend but were excluded. No Armenian, Persian, or Kurdish delegation was invited. The representative of the Sharif of Mecca — who had fought on Britain’s side in the war — was not even granted a meeting with Lord Curzon. The peoples whose homelands were being decided had no voice.
The Omission of Kurdistan: Erased by Silence
The most devastating aspect of the Treaty of Lausanne for the Kurdish people is not what the treaty contains, but what it omits. The Treaty of Sèvres had devoted an entire section — Articles 62, 63, and 64 — to Kurdish autonomy, independence, and self-determination. The Treaty of Lausanne mentions none of this. The word ‘Kurdistan’ does not appear. The word ‘Kurdish’ does not appear. The existence of the Kurdish people as a distinct nation is simply ignored.
This omission was not accidental. It was the result of a deliberate calculation by the Allied powers and Turkey. Britain had initially sought to create a Kurdish buffer state in eastern Anatolia to undermine Turkish influence over the oil-rich Mosul vilayet. But when Kemal’s military victories made it clear that Britain could not enforce Kurdish autonomy within Turkey without another war, British diplomats ceased pressing the issue. Support for Kurdish self-determination evaporated, and Kemal’s secular nationalist rhetoric relieved international concerns about the treatment of minorities.
The fundamental trade-off at Lausanne was territorial: Turkey received eastern Anatolia — home to millions of Kurds — in exchange for relinquishing Ottoman-era claims to the oil-rich Arab lands. Kurdistan was the price that Turkey demanded and the Allies agreed to pay. The Kurdish people were traded away — their homeland absorbed into Turkey, their rights unmentioned, their national aspirations erased from the legal order.
The Mosul Question: Oil Over Kurdish Rights
The Mosul vilayet — present-day Iraqi Kurdistan, including the oil fields of Kirkuk — was the most contested issue at Lausanne. Turkey claimed Mosul as part of its national territory, citing its Kurdish and Turkmen populations. Britain insisted on keeping Mosul within Iraq, citing strategic and economic interests — primarily, oil. Lord Curzon argued that the Kurds of Mosul preferred British rule, though no Kurdish population had been consulted.
The Mosul question was left unresolved at Lausanne and referred to the League of Nations, which awarded the province to Iraq in 1926. The decision was driven by oil, not Kurdish welfare. The Kurds of Mosul found themselves incorporated into an Arab-majority state whose government had no interest in Kurdish autonomy. The Christmas Declaration of 1922 — which had promised Kurdish self-governance within Iraq — remained a dead letter. Kurdish communities in the Mosul vilayet would spend the next century fighting for the autonomy they were promised but never given.
Timeline of Key Events
August 1920 — Treaty of Sèvres promises Kurdish autonomy and independence; never ratified.
1919–1923 — Turkish War of Independence; Mustafa Kemal defeats Allied plans to partition Anatolia.
November 1922 — Lausanne Conference convenes; no Kurdish delegation invited.
24 July 1923 — Treaty of Lausanne signed; no mention of Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish rights.
29 October 1923 — Republic of Turkey proclaimed; Kemal becomes president.
1925 — Sheikh Said rebellion — first major Kurdish revolt against the Turkish Republic; crushed.
1926 — League of Nations awards Mosul vilayet to Iraq; Kurdish-populated region incorporated into British Mandate.
Legacy and Significance for Kurdish History
The Treaty of Lausanne is the defining treaty of Kurdish statelessness. It is the treaty that sealed the partition of Kurdistan between Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran as permanent international law. It is the treaty that erased ‘Kurdistan’ from the diplomatic vocabulary of the international community. And it is the treaty whose consequences the Kurdish people have been fighting to reverse for over a century.
Within Turkey, the consequences were immediate and devastating. The new Republic denied the existence of a Kurdish identity, banning the Kurdish language, prohibiting Kurdish cultural expression, and referring to Kurds as ‘Mountain Turks.’ Kurdish revolts — the Sheikh Said rebellion (1925), the Ararat rebellion (1927–1930), the Dersim rebellion (1937–1938) — were crushed with military force, mass deportations, and collective punishment. The PKK insurgency, which began in 1984 and continues today, is a direct consequence of the denial of Kurdish identity that Lausanne enabled.
Every moment of Kurdish political upheaval since 1923 has been accompanied by calls to revisit Lausanne. The establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq (1992/2005), the Kurdish autonomous zone in northeastern Syria (2012), and the 2017 Kurdish independence referendum have all been described as challenges to the Lausanne order. The Kurdish struggle for self-determination is, at its core, a struggle to undo the consequences of a treaty signed in a Swiss city in 1923 by diplomats who did not consider the Kurdish people worthy of mention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the Kurdish provisions of Sèvres at Lausanne?
They were completely removed. The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) contained Articles 62-64 providing for Kurdish autonomy and a pathway to independence. The Treaty of Lausanne (1923), which replaced Sèvres entirely, contains no mention of Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish rights whatsoever.
Were the Kurds represented at the Lausanne Conference?
No. No Kurdish delegation was invited to the Lausanne Conference. The treaty was negotiated entirely between the Allied powers and Turkey, with no Kurdish, Armenian, Syrian, or Palestinian participation. The peoples whose homelands were being decided had no voice.
Is the Treaty of Lausanne still in effect?
Yes. The Treaty of Lausanne remains the foundational legal instrument defining Turkey’s borders and the international status of the Kurdish people. The four-part partition of Kurdistan (Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran) that Lausanne ratified in 1923 remains the legal and political reality today.
References and Further Reading
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