The Politis–Kalfov Protocol ( bg, Спогодба „Калфов-Политис“; el, Πρωτόκολλο Πολίτη - Καλφώφ) was bilateral document signed at the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

in Geneva in 1924 between Greece and Bulgaria and was concerning the “protection of the Bulgarian minority in Greece.” However it was not ratified by the Greek side..

History

After the '' Tarlis incident'' in which 17

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

peasants were killed by a Greek soldier on July 27, 1924, near the Greco-Bulgarian border, tensions between the two countries increased. As result on

29 September Events Pre-1600 *61 BC – Pompey, Pompey the Great celebrates his third Roman triumph, triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday. *1011 – Danes Siege of Canterbury, capture Cant ...

, 1924 a protocol was signed at the

in Geneva by

Nikolaos Politis Nikolaos Politis or Nikolaos Polites (also spelled Nicolas Politis; el, Νικόλαος Πολίτης; 1872 in Corfu, Greece – 1942 in Cannes, France) was a Greek diplomat in the early 20th century. He was a professor of law by training, ...

and , concerning the ''“Protection of the Bulgarian minority in Greece.''” This agreement constituted the first official acknowledgement by Greece that a Bulgarian minority existed there. The Bulgarian National Assembly quickly ratified it in October. The protocol obliged Greece to treat all members of this minority according to the terms of the

Treaty of Sevres A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

. Greek side agreed to sponsor Bulgarian minority schools; to allow the presence of Exarchist priests if they obtained Greek citizenship and to open a minority affairs bureau in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, to administer minority rights. Meanwhile, in Greece internal reaction against the Protocol arose, because public opinion stood against the recognition of any “

” minority in

Northern Greece Northern Greece ( el, Βόρεια Ελλάδα, Voreia Ellada) is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions. Administrative regions of Greece Administrative term The term "Northern Greece" is widely used ...

. Belgrade also was suspicious of Greece's recognition of a Bulgarian minority and was annoyed this would hinder its policy of forced “

Serbianisation Serbianisation American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or Serbianization, also known as Serbification, and Serbisation American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or ...

” in Serbian Macedonia.. On February 2, 1925, the

Greek Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule of the Hellenes, label=none), also known as the Parliament of the He ...

, claiming pressure from the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

, which threatened to renounce the

Greek–Serbian Alliance of 1913 The Greek–Serbian Alliance of 1913 was signed at Thessaloniki on 1 June 1913, in the aftermath of the First Balkan War, when both countries wanted to preserve their gains in Macedonia from Bulgarian expansionism. The treaty formed the corner ...

, refused to ratify the agreement. On 29 May 1925 the Greek government maintained that Greece was open to any suggestions concerning the “ Slavic-speaking linguistic minority” but that the existence of an ethno-religious, i.e. Bulgarian Exarchist minority was completely unacceptable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politis-Kalfov Protocol Bulgaria–Greece relations 1924 in Greece 1924 in Bulgaria 1924 in international relations Ethnic groups in Greece Treaties of the Second Hellenic Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Bulgaria Unratified treaties

History

See also

References