The unfinished business: Sèvres!

Whenever the debate over Lausanne is opened, or Lausanne is targeted, the Sèvres dreams of those doing so should also come to mind. Sèvres is a file that the West has never closed. Just like the 'Treaty of Lausanne,' which is the title deed of Turkey... All domestic and foreign elements that have not finished their reckoning with the Republic of Turkey, with independence, with secularism, and with Atatürk's principles and revolutions, are always 'lying in wait'...

While statements and debates targeting Lausanne continue, one must not forget Sèvres, which aimed at the partition of Ottoman lands.
The late Cahit Kayra says in his book 'The Sèvres File' (Tarihçi Kitabevi), "New generations must not forget the Treaty of Sèvres and the necessity of fighting against that ugly mentality!"

I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Cahit Kayra, who left behind a century-long life and a legacy of over forty works. While emphasizing that we must know and keep Sèvres in our memory just as much as Lausanne, I also heard the story of his book, The Sèvres File, from him:
"In 1966, I was serving as the head of the Turkish delegation at the OECD in Paris. My task and that of the delegation was to carry out the work required by Turkey's borrowing, along with activities related to the purpose of the OECD's establishment... We began holding symposia on certain topics every 15 days. One day, the Treaty of Sèvres came to my mind. I sent my secretary to the French State Publishing House and asked her to bring a copy of the Treaty of Sèvres. Since there were no French copies left, or very few, she brought an English copy. After seeing and leafing through the large-format, 161-page, 433-article treaty, I felt that I was faced with many questions. I thought about buying five or six more of these and sending them to acquaintances in Ankara.
I have never lost sight of the Sèvres Treaty document, titled 'Treaty Of Peace Between The Allied And Associated Powers And Turkey, August 10, 1920, Sevres', in my library since those days. With its pitch-black cover, it always occupied a place on one of the shelves in front of me like a bogeyman and constantly reminded me of itself. Later, I also wanted to learn what happened behind this treaty. I thought that we must know and keep Sèvres in our memory just as much as Lausanne..."

“Actually a ‘Doctrine’ Document”

Kayra had stated that this treaty, which the representatives of the Sultanate and the enemies of Turkey signed on August 10, 1920, in the town of Sèvres in the suburbs of Paris, France, was actually a 'doctrine' document. When asked how much it is known among the Turkish public, and even among intellectuals, he replied, 'I don't think the answer to this question is very positive.'
It is well known that Sèvres, a file that seems closed but has those waiting insidiously in ambush, is not closed. Cahit Kayra also drew attention to the fact that the file is not closed and added:
'Many provisions of this treaty were implemented at the time and shaped the international politics of the 19th century. In particular, this treaty determined today's geography of the Middle East, which is full of dangers.'

‘The War of Selfishness and Greed against Sacrifice and Virtue’

Sèvres is the dream of those who target the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey's title deed, and who want to partition Turkish lands.
I respectfully commemorate the 'century-old plane tree' Cahit Kayra, who served in many positions, primarily in the Ministry of Finance Inspection and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. He reminds us that the present cannot be understood and the future cannot be imagined without knowing the past.
And I want to share his words once again: "The six-hundred-year-old Ottoman Empire ended at Sèvres. Two forces fought around this treaty. The selfishness and greed represented by foreigners and the unconscious, oblivious, and bigoted locals who collaborated with them, and the sacrifice and virtue represented by Mustafa Kemal and his friends...
There are serious vital lessons to be learned. We are experiencing the struggle between those who want to bring Sèvres back to life and those who oppose it, those who protect the Republic of Turkey, once again. New generations must not forget the Treaty of Sèvres and the necessity of fighting against that ugly mentality!"