THE NEUILLY PEACE TREATY AND THE EXCHANGE OF POPULATION BETWEEN BULGARIA AND GREECE (1919- 1927)

Bulgaria joined the First World War on the side of Central Powers and was defeated. The victors of the war that came together in the Paris Peace Conference in order to ensure post-war peace signed the Neuilly Peace Treaty aiming the recognition of the rights and freedoms of the minorities on 27 November 1919 with Bulgaria. In the framework of the Peace Treaty, it was agreed to arrange a population exchange between Bulgaria and Greece. The two countries approved the Treaty on “The Convention of Voluntary Exchange of population between Bulgaria and Greece” in 1920. The Convention determined the voluntary migration of Bulgarians in Greece to Bulgaria and Greeks in Bulgaria to Greece. The parties committed to make the required legal changes in the existing laws during the exchange period, to arrange the migration and to provide convenience regarding movable and immovable properties. Although several unfortunate events and economic problems happened during the Exchange of Populations between Bulgaria and Greece, by the end of 1925, 46.000 Greeks had migrated from Bulgaria to Greece and 123.000 Bulgarians had migrated from Greece to Bulgaria. In this study, the exchange of population between Bulgaria and Greece and the problems encountered related to that exchange were analyzed.