The First Balkan War was recruited by the majority of Greeks as a follow-up to the Greek Revolution of 1821. The Greek armed forces liberated much of Macedonia, Epirus and the North-East Aegean islands within a few months, reviving the vision of the Great Idea for liberation of all unredeemed Greeks, who resided in Ottoman lands. Ottoman rule was catalyzed in most of the Balkans. The Ottoman forces defended to the last Adrianople, which fell after a siege to Bulgarian hands in March 1913, and then Constantinople.
During the First Balkan War, the establishment of the Albanian state emerged as a major topic of discussion between the belligerent countries and the Great Powers. Austria-Hungary and Italy were in favor of the establishment of Albania from the beginning. Austrian diplomacy applauded the moves of the Albanian nationalists, wishing to prevent Serbia’s exit to the Adriatic. The Italians, on the other hand, viewed Austrian policy in the Adriatic as antagonistic. Therefore, they advocated the establishment of an independent state on the eastern shore of the Adriatic.
In October-November 1912, Albanian nationalists were alarmed by the progress of the Greek and Serbian armies in their operations in the western Balkans. Wishing to prevent the occupation by the Greeks and the Serbs of lands which they themselves considered as Albanian land, they moved for the immediate creation of a state. After first going to Vienna where he received the approval of the Austrian government, Ismail Kemal proclaimed the independence of Albania on November 28, 1912 in Avlona. The government of Ismail Kemal, however, only controlled the city of Avlona. On the same day, Serbian troops occupied Durres, while gradually the Greek army liberated Northern Epirus. The Albanian question was left to be resolved by the Great Powers.
After the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest (July 28/August 10, 1913), three issues were left pending: the ownership of Eastern Thrace, the ownership of the Northeast Aegean islands, and the regulation of Albania’s borders. Eastern Thrace again passed into Ottoman hands with a special treaty on September 16/29, 1913. The other two outstanding issues were linked and the Greek side faced the dilemma of claiming either Northern Epirus or the islands.
Meanwhile, the victory of the Ottoman forces over the Bulgarians boosted the morale of the New Turkish government, making it intransigent on the issue of sovereignty over the islands. In order to claim the islands of the North-East Aegean, the Young Turks carried out intensive naval equipments, considering that the naval armament would solve the issue. They also believed that the islands would lose their importance for Greece if the Greeks were expelled from the coasts of western Asia Minor. In the reasoning of the Neo-Turks, the islands were a base from which the Greek forces could launch their forces into Asia Minor.
On December 17, 1913, the Great Powers announced their decision to cede Northern Epirus, an area of 120,000 strong Greek population with a rich educational and ecclesiastical work, to Albania. Almost a month later, on January 31/February 13, 1914, the Great Powers notified the Greek and Neo-Turkish governments of their decision on the islands by joint diplomatic communication. The islands of the Northeast Aegean, with the exception of Imbros, Tenedos and Kastelorizos, were awarded to Greece under the conditions that they would remain unfortified, not be used for military purposes, combat smuggling and protect Muslim communities. Greek sovereignty would be officially recognized when the Greek armed forces withdrew from Northern Epirus and the island of Sassan.
It was about a solution, which did not fully satisfy Greece. On the one hand, it did not exert any pressure on the High Gate for its compliance with the orders of the Powers, on the other hand, it officially assigned the Northern Continent to the newly established Albania, without providing for the protection of the Greeks of the area. Greece accepted the decision of the Powers expressing its readiness to abide by the terms and stating that the protection of the Muslims was considered a given as a consequence of the Treaty of Athens (November 1/14, 1913). At the same time, he officially requested the protection of the rights of the Greeks of Northern Epirus.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigone-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
