The Venizelos–Tittoni agreement was a secret non-binding agreement between the
Prime Minister of Greece,
Eleftherios Venizelos, and the
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Tommaso Tittoni
Tommaso Tittoni (16 November 1855 – 7 February 1931) was an Italian diplomat, politician and Knight of the Annunziata. He was Italy's foreign minister from 1903 until 1909, except for a five-month period. He also was interim prime minister for ...
, in July 1919, during the
Paris Peace Conference.
Main terms
The agreement was an effort to achieve an agreement about the conflicting territorial claims of the two countries.
*Greece pledged to support the Italian claims over
Vlorë
Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...
and the establishment of an Italian protectorate over Albania.
In
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, Greece would support the Italian claims over the parts of the
sanjak
Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ)
* Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province")
* Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region")
* el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
s of
Aydın and
Menteshe
__NOTOC__
Menteshe ( ota, منتشه, tr, Menteşe) was the first of the Anatolian beyliks, the frontier principalities established by the Oghuz Turks after the decline of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. Founded in 1260/1290, it was named for i ...
, which were not already captured by the Greek army. A line of demarcation between Greek and Italian zones was drawn in the
Maeander River valley. Greece would secure also for Italy a free zone at the port of
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
(under
Greek administration from May 1919).
*Italy pledged to support the Greek territorial claims over
Northern Epirus
sq, Epiri i Veriut rup, Epiru di Nsusu
, type = Part of the wider historic region of Epirus
, image_blank_emblem =
, blank_emblem_type =
, image_map = Epirus across Greece Albania4.svg
, map_caption ...
and transfer the
Dodecanese to Greece, except for the island of
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
, which would remain under Italian rule until such time as
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
would be ceded to Greece by Britain, at which time a referendum would be held for union with Greece.
Developments
In January 1920, Venizelos made known the agreement to the Supreme Allied Council with no negative reaction.
The stance of Italy changed in July 1920, when the new
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Carlo Sforza
Count Carlo Sforza (24 January 1872 – 4 September 1952) was an Italian diplomat and anti-fascist politician.
Life and career
Sforza was born at Lucca, the second son of Count Giovanni Sforza (1846-1922), an archivist and noted historian ...
, with a secret note to the Greek government renounced the agreement. Formally, the agreement was renounced by Italy on August 1922.
See also
*
Zone of Smyrna
*
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
*
Partition of Albania
*
Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
The partition of the Ottoman Empire (30 October 19181 November 1922) was a geopolitical event that occurred after World War I and the occupation of Constantinople by British, French and Italian troops in November 1918. The partitioning was ...
References
Sources
L'Accordo Tittoni-Venizelos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venizelos-Tittoni agreement
Eleftherios Venizelos
Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)
Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece
Secret treaties
World War I treaties
Greece–Italy relations
History of the Dodecanese
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
Megali Idea