Amasya Interview

Amasya Meeting was a negotiation held between the Representation Committee of the Society for the Defense of the Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia and representatives of the Istanbul Government from 20 to 22 October 1919 and is one of the turning points in the history of the National Struggle. Through this meeting, the Istanbul Government effectively recognized the Representation Committee; issues such as the convening of a new parliament, the freedom of elections and the location of the parliament’s meeting were discussed. As a result of the negotiations, five protocols were drafted, but the fourth and fifth protocols were considered “secret” and were not signed.

Background of the Amasya Meeting

After the Damat Ferit Pasha Government’s attempt to suppress the Sivas Congress failed, Mustafa Kemal Pasha closed the door to dialogue with the Istanbul Government on behalf of the Representation Committee. During this period, following Damat Ferit’s resignation, the Ali Rıza Pasha Government sent a telegram to Mustafa Kemal Pasha through the Minister of War, Cemal Pasha, seeking contact with the Anatolian movement. Subsequently, the Minister of the Navy, Salih Hulusi Pasha, was sent to Amasya to conduct negotiations on behalf of the government.

Process Leading to the Negotiations

Before moving from Sivas to Amasya, Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his associates consulted with the commanders of the armies. They arrived in Amasya on 18 October. Salih Hulusi Pasha was received with a ceremony in Amasya on 19 October. The duty of accompanying Salih Pasha on behalf of the Representation Committee was assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Arif Karakeçili.

Details of the Negotiations and Protocols

During the negotiations held between 20 and 22 October 1919, five protocols were drafted:

• Protocol 1: Contains certain proposals that the Istanbul Government did not object to.
• Protocol 2: Summarizes lengthy discussions and includes the positions of both sides on the caliphate, the sultanate and the decisions of the Sivas Congress. Most importantly, it includes the principle that the Chamber of Deputies should convene in Anatolia.
• Protocol 3: Contains arrangements regarding elections, such as preventing the influence of the Committee of Union and Progress and establishing the Representation Committee as a guiding body.
• Protocol 4 (Secret): Was not signed because it dealt with sensitive issues such as the trial of the Malta exiles in Turkey, the Armenian events and purges within the army.
• Protocol 5 (Secret): Concerned the names to be sent to the Peace Conference and the government’s freedom of action on this matter.

Point of Disagreement: Location of the Parliament’s Convening

Mustafa Kemal Pasha emphasized that the new parliament must convene outside Istanbul. Salih Pasha personally acknowledged this but stated he could not commit on behalf of the cabinet. He declared that if he failed to convince the cabinet, he would resign, but he did not fulfill this pledge. During the negotiations, examples from France and Germany—Bordeaux and Weimar—were cited as precedents.

Significance and Outcomes of the Protocols

Through the Amasya Protocols, the Istanbul Government was compelled to recognize the national movement in Anatolia. These documents demonstrated that the new political authority emerging in Anatolia had gained the right to negotiate on equal terms with Istanbul. However, due to Salih Pasha’s failure to fulfill certain promises and the resistance of the Istanbul Government, the protocols could not be implemented in the short term. Nevertheless, these negotiations marked a crucial step on the path toward the establishment of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 23 April 1920.

Media Coverage and International Reactions

Newspapers on 24 October 1919 presented the meeting as a “complete agreement.” In a telegram sent to the newspaper Vakit, Mustafa Kemal Pasha stated that the goal of the “National Organization” would end once the parliament convened. Additionally, his suggestion that an Armenia could be established beyond the Ottoman borders attracted attention.

The Amasya Meeting holds a significant place in the history of the National Struggle as the first official negotiation in which Anatolia and Istanbul engaged on equal terms. The de facto recognition by the Istanbul Government of the political existence of the Representation Committee, and the formalization of this recognition in the protocols, became one of the most important diplomatic achievements in the process leading to the founding of the Republic of Türkiye.