From inauguration of the Turkish Grand National Assembly to the Treaty of Lausanne discussions in the determination of the Turkey-Syria border

The aim of this study is to reveal the discussions that took place in the regarding the determination of the Turkey-Syria border from inauguration of Turkish Grand National Assembly to the Treaty of Lausanne. During the First World War, the Syrian territories fell into the hands of the British and were subsequently handed over to France after the war. When France encountered unexpected resistance in Syria and Southern Anatolian provinces, they decided to evacuate their occupation zones in Anatolia and establish control in Syria. The first contact with the French began with George Picot's meeting with Mustafa Kemal Pasha in Sivas before returning to Paris after resigning from the position of High Commissioner for Syria. Following the military successes on the Southern Front, the 20-Day Tentative Cease-Fire was first signed on May 28, 1920. After London Peace Conference held after the First İnönü Victory, diplomatic negotiations accelerated following the signing of the agreement with the French, which became known as the "Bekir Sami Bey Treaty" in history. Since the approval of the treaties by the Parliament was mandatory for their implementation, all developments were communicated to the members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. As a result of the study, it was observed that the most important event in the determination of the Turkey-Syria border was the acceptance of the railway line in the Turkish-French Treaty signed on March 11, 1920. The members of the assembly didn't accept the border proposed by the French, primarily due to the situation of the Turks in the southern part of the railway line, especially in the Sanjak Region, both in the treaty dated March 11, 1920 and in the subsequent process. They thoroughly discussed the problems that would arise in humanitarian, economic, cultural, and military terms if the border was drawn based on the railway line. The determination of the Turkey-Syria border along the railway line, instead of natural boundaries, along with the kinship relations that formed along the border, led to Turkey's inability to remain indifferent to the developments in Syria. Keywords: Turkey, Syria, Turkish Grand National Assembly, Railway Line, Bekir Sami Bey Treaty.