Mücadeleden İş Birliğine: Türk Yunan İlişkileri Bağlamında Bir Yunan Liderinin Yaşam Öyküsü İoannis Metaksas (1871-1941)
Ioannis Metaksas, Yunanistan’ın askerî ve siyasi tarihinde önemli bir figür olup Türk-Yunan ilişkilerinin dönüşümünde kritik bir rol oynamıştır. Kariyerinin başlarında, Megali İdea olarak adlandırılan Büyük Yunanistan hayali doğrultusunda Osmanlı’ya karşı mücadele etmiş ancak 1897 Türk-Yunan Savaşı’ndaki yenilgiden sonra hayal cilikten uzak gerçekçi bir dış politika anlayışı benimsemiştir. Balkan Savaşları’ndan önce Türklere karşı Bulgarlarla ittifak müzakerelerini yürütmüş ve ardından Osmanlı ordusuna karşı savaşmıştı. I. Dünya Savaşı öncesinde Osmanlı Devleti’ne önceleyici bir deniz saldırısı yapılmasını savunan Metaksas, savaş başladıktan sonra tarafsızlık siyasetini savunmuş ve özellikle Venizelos’un Anadolu işgaline şiddetle karşı çıkmış ve bu girişimin Yunanistan için büyük bir felaketle sonuçlanacağını öngörmüştür. 1936’da başbakan olarak iktidara gelen Metaksas, otoriter “4 Ağustos Rejimi”ni kurmuş ve Türkiye ile stratejik iş birliğini geliştirmiştir. 1937’de İsmet İnönü’nün Yunanistan’ı ziyareti ve ardından Metaksas’ın Ankara’ya gelmesi, iki ülke arasındaki güveni pekiştirmiştir. 1938’de imzalanan askerî iş birliği anlaşması, Türkiye’nin Yunanistan’ın toprak bütünlüğünü desteklediğini göstermiştir. II. Dünya Savaşı’nda İtalyan saldırısına karşı kararlı bir direniş sergileyen Metaksas, Türkiye’nin desteğiyle Yunanistan’ın iki cepheli bir savaşla karşı karşıya kalmasını önlemiştir. Onun liderliği, Türk-Yunan ilişkilerinde düşmanlıktan iş birliğine geçişin en önemli örneklerinden biri olmuştur. Metaksas’ın askerî ve siyasi kariyeri, iki ülke arasındaki ilişkilerde kalıcı bir iz bırakmıştır.
From Struggle to Cooperation: The Life Story of A Greek Leader in The Context of Turkish-Greek Relations – Ioannis Metaxas (1871-1941)
Ioannis Metaxas (1871-1941) was a significant figure in Greece’s military and political history and played a critical role in the transformation of Turkish-Greek relations. In the early years of his career, he fought against the Ottomans with the vision of the “Megali Idea” (Greater Greece), but after Greece’s defeat in the 1897 War, he adopted a pragmatic foreign policy, moving away from idealistic ambitions. Before the Balkan Wars, he conducted alliance negotiations with Bulgaria against the Turks and later fought against the Ottoman army. Before World War I, Metaxas advocated for a preemptive naval attack on the Ottoman Empire. However, once the war began, he defended a policy of neutrality and strongly opposed Venizelos’ occupation of Anatolia, predicting that it would lead to a major disaster for Greece.Coming to power as Prime Minister in 1936, Metaxas established the authoritarian “4th of August Regime” and strengthened strategic cooperation with Turkey. During World War II, Metaxas displayed firm resistance against the Italian invasion and, with Turkey’s support, prevented Greece from facing a two-front war. His leadership marked a significant transition from hostility to cooperation in Turkish-Greek relations. Metaxas’ military and political career left a lasting impact on the relations between the two nations.
Metaxas’s early career was shaped by the irredentist ideology of the “Megali Idea,” which sought the expansion of Greece into territories historically associated with Hellenic civilization, including parts of Ottoman Turkey. However, his direct experience in the disastrous 1897 Greco-Turkish War and later military engagements made him increasingly skeptical of reckless expansionist policies. By the time of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Metaxas had already developed a cautious stance, foreseeing the strategic and military limitations of Greek ambitions in Anatolia. His opposition to Eleftherios Venizelos’s aggressive interventionism was later vindicated by Greece’s defeat and the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne (1923), which established the modern borders between Greece and Turkey.
Before assuming political leadership, Metaxas had a distinguished military career that significantly shaped his strategic outlook on Turkey. As a graduate of the Hellenic Army Academy and later trained in Germany, he developed a strong appreciation for disciplined military strategy and realism in foreign policy. During the Balkan Wars (1912 1913), Metaxas played a key role in the planning and execution of Greek military operations, which ultimately led to the expansion of Greek territory at the expense of the Ottoman Empire. However, despite these successes, he remained wary of overextending Greek ambitions, a view that put him at odds with the more expansionist Venizelist faction.
Metaxas’s cautious approach was evident during the Greek occupation of Smyrna in 1919. He strongly opposed the campaign, warning that it would provoke a stronger Turkish nationalist resistance under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. His predictions proved accurate when the Greek military suffered a decisive defeat in 1922, leading to the catastrophic population exchange between Greece and Turkey. These events cemented his belief in pragmatic realism over nationalist adventurism, reinforcing his later policies of maintaining stable relations with Turkey.
Following Greece’s painful experience in Anatolia, a new era of Turkish-Greek relations began under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s leadership. Metaxas, despite his authoritarian leanings, recognized the importance of maintaining a stable relationship with Turkey. The 1930s saw a significant improvement in diplomatic ties, culminating in the Greco-Turkish Friendship Agreement of 1930. While this agreement was initially negotiated under Venizelos, Metaxas continued this policy of rapprochement after assuming power in 1936. His regime maintained cordial relations with Turkey, viewing it as a key partner in the broader context of Balkan stability.
One of the most notable moments in Metaxas’s engagement with Turkey was the reciprocal state visits between Turkish and Greek leaders in 1937. İsmet İnönü’s visit to Athens, followed by Metaxas’s visit to Ankara, reinforced bilateral trust and diplomatic goodwill. Atatürk’s famous declaration that “the borders of the Balkan allied states are a single border” underscored the significance of Turkish-Greek cooperation in the region. These developments aligned with the broader framework of the Balkan Pact of 1934, in which Greece and Turkey, alongside Yugoslavia and Romania, sought to counter external threats, particularly from expansionist Italy and revisionist Bulgaria.
Metaxas’s tenure was marked by increasing concerns over Italy’s aggressive posture in the Mediterranean. When Mussolini’s forces invaded Greece in October 1940, Turkey’s response was critical in preventing Greece from facing a two-front war. Turkey, under President İsmet İnönü, issued warnings to Bulgaria, discouraging any opportunistic aggression against Greece. This diplomatic maneuver helped Greece concentrate its military efforts against Italy without the fear of a simultaneous Bulgarian incursion.
Furthermore, Turkish humanitarian assistance to Greece during the war demonstrated the practical benefits of improved bilateral relations. The Turkish Red Crescent provided essential medical supplies and food aid to the Greek population, showcasing a rare moment of solidarity between the two nations despite their historically fraught relationship. These actions were particularly significant given the broader context of World War II, where alliances and enmities were constantly shifting.
Metaxas’s approach to Turkey highlights a pragmatic dimension of his leadership that contrasts with his otherwise authoritarian and nationalist domestic policies. His willingness to maintain a working relationship with Turkey, despite the deep-rooted historical animosities between the two nations, played a crucial role in fostering regional stability during a volatile period. While his authoritarian regime remains a subject of intense criticism, his foreign policy decisions regarding Turkey contributed to a foundation of cooperation that would influence Turkish-Greek relations in the decades to follow.
His legacy in Turkish-Greek relations serves as an example of how pragmatic diplomacy can sometimes override historical grievances, ensuring stability in a region historically plagued by conflict.
