Turkey and Greece sign population exchange convention in Lausanne

On 30 January 1923, delegates from Turkey and Greece signed the Convention concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was agreed during the peace conference that followed the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, and it was signed months before the final Treaty of Lausanne in July 1923.

The convention provided for the compulsory exchange of Greek Orthodox Christians living in Turkey and Muslims living in Greece. The criterion was religion rather than language or ethnic identity. Some groups were exempted, notably the Greeks of Istanbul and the Muslims of Western Thrace. A mixed commission was set up to oversee the process and the property left behind.

The agreement affected well over a million people, most of whom had little say in the matter. Muslims from Greek cities such as Thessaloniki, then a diverse port city, resettled in Turkey, while Orthodox Christians left Anatolia for Greece. Many arrived with few possessions and had to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar places. The exchange reshaped both societies, and descendants of the migrants still keep family memories of their places of origin.