Greek Invasion of Bulgaria 1925

Greece's relations with Bulgaria were severely strained by a number of violent incidents along the frontier. The serious confrontation on October 22, 1925, in which several Greeks were killed, culminated in an actual invasion of Bulgarian territory by a Greek army corps. As part of the justification for the action, the government of Greece, led by General Theodore Pangalos, charged that the Greek minority in Bulgarian Macedonia was being mistreated. Bulgaria appealed to the League of Nations and accused Greece of armed intervention. On October 26, the League Council requested an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all troops to their respective sides of the frontier.

Rapid action by the League of Nations prevented the frontier clash from escalating into full-scale war. It was one of the few successes of the policy of collective security associated with the League. A five-person Commission of Enquiry was established by the League and headed by the British Ambassador to Spain, diplomat Sir Horace Rumbold. Its mandate was to establish responsibility for the incident, consider the question of reparations and suggest ways to prevent a recurrence.

The Commission concluded that the best way to reduce friction between these two unfriendly neighbors was not to accord greater protection to minorities, but to promote the exchange of populations. It also submitted a number of military recommendations to both parties, including establishing a one kilometer buffer zone between their guard posts on either side of the border. The Commission proposed that two neutral officers be dispatched to assist Greece and Bulgaria to reorganize their border guards, one assigned to each side. Two Swedish officers were appointed and their duties included mediating any border disputes which arose.

As a result of the League intervention, Greece was obliged to withdraw and to pay an indemnity of US$215,000 to Bulgaria. The status quo ante was reestablished during 1926. However, by the end of the 1920s almost no Greeks remained in Bulgaria and western Thrace was almost completely cleared of its Bulgarian population.

References

Outcast Europe: The Balkans 1789-1989, 85; Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements, 833, 1355; Modern Greece: A Short History, 216-7; Britain and UN Peacekeeping, 1948-67, 15; Military History, 1137; Timelines of War, 412; Bulgaria - A Country Study.

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