Friends or Foes? Diplomatic Relations Between Italy and Turkey, 1923–36

Abstract

Turkey's foreign policy and relations in the early Republican era, before and during World War II, has been subject to systematic and scholarly research, leading to numerous publications since the 1970s. Although no less significant than Britain, Germany, or the Soviet Union in shaping Turkish inter-war foreign policy and priorities, Italy does not seem to have received a similar degree of attention in this growing literature. Italy is usually treated in the works on Turkish foreign relations only as a threat that Turkey's foreign and strategic policy aimed to counter after 1934.

Mussolini’nin “Dört Güç Paktı” Projesi Ve Türkiye’nin Siyasal Eylemciliği

“…Mussolini, Türkiye'ye karşı "dürüst arabulucu" rolünde görünmekle birlikte, aslında konferans öncesinde İngiltere ve Fransa ile birlikte hareket etmek üzere anlaşmıştır 25 . Lozan Barış Konferansı'nın sadece varlık göstermek değil, sonraki genişleme eylemleri için kararlılığını ilan etmenin de bir aracı olarak gören Mussolini bakımından Menteşe Adalarının (Rodos, 12 Ada ve Meis) İtalya'ya ait olduğunun resmileştirilmesi önemli bir kazanç olacaktır 26 . İtalya, Lozan Barış Antlaşması'nın imza edilmesinden sonra onaylayan ilk batılı devlet olacak-tır 27 .…”

The%20Legacy%20of%20Pietro%20Canonica%20s%20Art%20and%20His%20Travels%20in%20Turkey

“…(Milliyet, October 23, 1926) 23 Canonica visited Turkey several months after Turkey signed a declaration of friendship with France in 1926, which Mussolini viewed as the Turkish side's attempt to develop a closer relationship with the French. 24 There are various political and strategic reasons behind the Mussolini's manoeuvre in terms of Turkey but as this paper focuses more on Canonica's works and legacy in Turkey, this information will suffice. Seeing that Turkey shifted its scope to France and Britain, Mussolini started seeking a closer relationship with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who responded to this in a positive manner that indicates Turkey's desire to remain friendly.…”

Kabiliyetler ve Dış Politika: Türkiye’nin Küçük ve Orta Düzeyde Güç Statüsünün Karşılaştırılması

“…Turkey then started shifting between varying alliance structures against Italian expansionism in the Eastern Mediterranean, which increased its value as a counterweight between antagonistic alliances. 63 Against Italian armaments in the Dodecanese islands and Mussolini's Mare Nostrum rhetoric, Turkey successfully cooperated with the British within the League to impose sanctions on Italy after the invasion of Abyssinia and the signing of the Balkan Entente of 1934. Once the Abyssinia Crisis cooled down, Italy tried to reharmonize relations with Turkey by revoking its claims over Turkish lands.…”