The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the post-WWI document defining the borders of modern-day Turkey, including its western borders with neighboring Greece, has been called into question by the Turkish president.
Less than a day before setting off for his historic two-day visit to Greece, Erdogan told Greek journalists that the treaty is in need of an update.
“In fact, all agreements pacts in the world should be updated over time,” Erdogan said, speaking with Greece’s Skai TV and the Kathimerini newspaper. “Lausanne too, in the face of all these developments, is in need of an update. This update would be beneficial not only for Turkey but also for Greece,” he added.
Erdogan did not expand on what sorts of changes he had in mind, but called the distances between some of the islands in the Aegean Sea, over which Turkey and Greece have competing claims, “problematic.” He added that issues concerning territorial waters, airspace and the continental shelf could be “easily” resolved.