Treaty of Ankara is signed with the British
When it was evident that it would not be possible to take Mosul, which was considered within the National Pact borders, at Lausanne, the deliberation of the issue was postponed and was thus taken to the League of Nations. On October 29, 1925, the League of Nations drew a temporary line that separated Mosul from Hakkâri. This line is known as the “Brussels Line.”
However, with the political weight of the United Kingdom, the League of Nations decided, on December 16, 1925, to cede the north of the Brussels Line to Turkey and its south to Iraq.
The decision was met with considerable reaction in Turkey; in fact, Turkey pulled back its Geneva representative because of it. According to Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Europe had demonstrated with this decision that it was “still willing to crush Eastern nations.”
As Turkey did not accept the decision, negotiations with the British recommenced upon the advice of the League of Nations. Finally, the issue was resolved with the signing of the Treaty of Ankara on June 5, 1926. Accordingly, Mosul was ceded to Iraq under the mandate of the British, whereas Iraq agreed to pay 10% of the oil profits from Mosul to Turkey for the next twenty-five years. Moreover, the Hakkâri border was redefined in favor of Turkey.
The treaty marked the final border between Turkey and Iraq; however, a piece of land within the National Pact was lost.
