Mudanya brought together the cities affected by the population exchange on the 103rd anniversary of the event. Under the theme "From the Same House, to Different Worlds," the commemoration events included an exhibition of photographs from Crete, the laying of carnations in the sea in memory of those who lost their lives on the migration routes, and a theatrical performance depicting the population exchange in the Girit Neighborhood. At a panel discussion where the mayors of the relevant cities came together, a call was made, at the suggestion of Mayor Deniz Dalgıç, for the establishment of a Union of Cities Affected by the Population Exchange.

The 103rd anniversary of the Turkish-Greek Population Exchange was commemorated in Mudanya with comprehensive events organized by the Mudanya Municipality under the theme "From the Same House, to Different Worlds." The commemoration program brought together the mayors of the cities involved in the exchange, and they discussed the traces left by the exchange in the cities' collective memory and their responsibilities regarding a shared future.

The anniversary of the Convention and Protocol on the Turkish-Greek Population Exchange, signed between Türkiye and Greece on January 30, 1923, was commemorated with events hosted by Deniz Dalgıç, the Mayor of Mudanya. Attendees included Mustafa Bozbey, the Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Ömer Günel the Mayor of Kuşadası, Şadi Özdemir the Mayor of Nilüfer, representatives of political parties, associations of those affected by the population exchange, academics, and citizens.

At the ceremony held in front of the Armistice Museum House, the 103rd Anniversary Declaration, signed by the The Foundation of Lausanne Treaty Emigrants and the organizations related to populaiton exchange in Türkiye, was read, and then red carnations were thrown into the sea in memory of those who lost their lives on the migration routes. As part of the program, a panel titled "Cities Confronting the Population Exchange" brought together the mayors of cities shaped by the population of those who migrated.

DALGIÇ PROPOSES AN ASSOCIATION OF CITIES AFFILIATED WITH POPULATION EXCHANGE

During the mayors' session, Deniz Dalgıç, the Mayor of Mudanya, emphasizing the importance of preserving collective memory, stated that they had recorded a great deal of data regarding the lives of those who migrated from Türkiye , but that there was a significant gap in the field of oral history. Dalgıç stressed that this gap can only be filled through a collaborative effort.

Stating that concrete and lasting steps need to be taken, Dalgıç suggested creating a platform for institutional cooperation among the cities affected by the population exchange, and pointed out the importance of establishing a Network or Union of Cities Affected by Population Exchange. He noted that this structure would facilitate regular meetings and the development of joint projects, adding that reviving shared memory and transforming oral history into written and tangible forms is critical for future generations, and that even a small piece of information from one city can complete the story of another.

BOZBEY: "KEEP YOUR MEMORIES RECORDED."

Mustafa Bozbey the Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality who stated that he is a descendant of those who were part of the population exchange and that his ancestors returned to their ancestral lands after 450 years, asked the associations of those who were part of the population exchange to keep their memories, recollections, and experiences in written form. Expressing that he himself is a migrant, Bozbey said: "Atatürk once has said, 'Wherever I see a Yörük tent and see smoke rising from it, the Republic is in safe hands...' This is how the exchangees viewed this country. In fact, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was one of those who knew this very clearly."

GÜNEL: “I FELT AT HOME IN MUDANYA”
Kuşadası Mayor Ömer Günel, who said he came to a city of population exchange origins from another city with population exchange origins and was met with very warm hospitality, stated, "I felt as if I were in Kuşadası."

Günel, stating that as the mayor of a city that received population exchange migrants and has a large population of exchange migrants, he tries to share those feelings as much as possible, said, "As a Yörük (nomadic Turk), I sincerely share the feelings of the exchange migrants because I believe that if we don't know the feelings, emotions, and origins of the people in the city we live in, we cannot govern that city properly."

In the session titled "Culture of Population Exchange," Associate Professor Ayşegül İnginar Kemaloğlu from Marmara University, author Saba Altınsay, and researcher, historian, and author Raif Kaplanoğlu shared their studies in the field of oral history.

As part of the events, the Mudanya Municipality Theatre Group depicted the hardships faced by the migrants in a performance held in the Girit Neighborhood. Within the framework of the program, a photography exhibition titled "Crete in the Early 1900s," prepared in memory of the exchangees, was also opened at the Cumhuriyet Gallery.

MUDANYA MUNICIPALITY PRESS OFFICE