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Article The Mediterranean Agreements and Their Implementation in Turkey(Hacettepe Univ, 2021) Birlik, Gultekin K.; Department of Social Sciences for University wide CoursesIn the Spanish Civil War, before the breakout of World War II, Turkey became a part of the Mediterranean Agreements against the marine piracy in the Mediterranean that appeared due to the conflict between the revisionist and the anti-revisionist blocks. In August of 1937, Turkey was affected by marine piracy when two ships, which were taking provisions from the Soviet Union to the Republicans in Spain, were sunk in front of the Dardanelles. Turkey took part in the Mediterranean Nyon and Geneva Agreements against marine piracy in September 1937 and allocated two ports to British ships within the frame of these Treaties. While it was necessary for Turkey to take measures against the piracy targeted at submarines, ships and planes in all its territorial waters within the frame of these Mediterranean Agreements, it took measures only in the territorial waters of the Dardanelles, Gokceada and Bozcaada. While the capacity of the naval power was decisive in Turkey's taking such measures, its unwillingness to create an atmosphere of conflict with Italy was also effective. While the marine piracy could not be prevented in the Western Mediterranean, there was no marine piracy in the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea. The reason for this is not the measures taken within the framework of the Agreements but the fact that the Soviet Union sent its assistance through France instead of the Mediterranean way. At the end of 1938, along with Britain, Turkey sought to withdraw from the Treaties, however, Britain did not approve of this due to the on going marine piracy in the Western Mediterrenean. Immediately after the invasions of Czechoslovakia and Albania, Turkey withdrew from the Mediterranean Agreements, on April 8, 1939, before all the other countries. Just before the World War II, with "cautious and quick" policies, Turkey sought to escape any confrontation that might originate from the Mediterranean Agreements.Article An Example of the Threat From Italy To Turkey: Piracy in the Mediterranean(Selcuk Univ, Inst Turkish Studies, 2024) Birlik, Gultekin K.In August 1937, with the sinking of Spanish ships in front of Bozcaada and the sighting of foreign submarines in the Sea of Marmara, the Italian threat from piracy affected Turkey for the first time. While Turkey took measures against foreign submarines, including sinking them in the Sea of Marmara, it endeavored to prevent the possibilities that could create an atmosphere of conflict with Italy in the Aegean Sea. In the Anglo-French plan, which was first discussed at the Nyon Conference against piracy, it was envisaged that the north of the Aegean Sea would be controlled by the Turkish and the Soviet Union, and the south of it would be controlled by the navies of Greece and Yugoslavia. Due to the tension between the Soviet Union and Italy, Atat & uuml;rk saw this situation as ananti-Italy initiative and brought up the issue of giving assurance to Turkey against Italy. Prime Minister & Idot;smet & Idot;n & ouml;n & uuml; also thought that this situation harbored the possibility of conflict with Italy and argued that guarantees should be requested from England and France. As a result of the objections of Greece and Yugoslavia as well as Turkey; England and France had to undertake duty in the Aegean Sea against piracy. The fact that Turkey, Greece and Yugoslavia did not want Italy to take part in the Aegean Sea during the negotiations for Italy's participation in the Mediterranean Agreements, and that they would not allow it to enter the territorial waters and ports, shows that the Balkan Pact states implemented a common policy against Italy. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advocacy that in the face of the problems experienced in the process of Italy's accession to the Mediterranean Agreements, it was necessary to establish a policy together with Greece and Yugoslavia, explains this situation
