The request of Samos for accession to the Greek state constituted a national goal for the people of Samos, after the independence of Greece. The Governor of Samos, Georgios Logothetis Lykourgos, in May 1831, addressing the Vice-Consul of His Majesty the King of England, and being aware of the unfavourable decisions of the Protocol of Independence (3 February 1830) (neutrality of the policy of Kapodistrias and relentless war within the island), proposed the recognition by the Sultan and tribute offered by the people of Samos. Through this proposal, he temporarily suspended the violent annexation of Samos to the Ottoman Empire, at least up to 1834, when the period of Hegemony began (1834-1912).

The accession of Samos to the Greek state began progressively in 1912, after 100 years of Ottoman hegemony. In 1912, under the leadership of Themistoklis Sofoulis, a military and political revolution ensued, toppling the Ottoman rule, which led to the proclamation of the accession of Samos to the Greek state. Full accession was concluded two years later, during the 2nd Balkan War and after the liberation of Thessaloniki and Ioannina. The National Assembly convened in early January (5/18 January 1913) which submitted a memorandum to the ambassadors’ conference in London, stating the request for the accession of Samos to the Greek state.

Rear Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, Commander-in-Chief of the Aegean Fleet, proclaimed and ordered, on 01 March 1913, from the port of Moudros, “In the name of the King”: “The island of Samos is under Greek sovereignty”. The President of the Provisional Government, in his 2 March declaration to the people of Samos, welcomed the occupation of Samos in the name of King George A’.

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