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WANTED: OWNERS OF SIX TONS OF GOLD LEFT IN HISTORIC ARMENIA
By Edmond Y. Adazian
Posted on November 25, 2011 by Editor
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2011/11/25/wanted-owners-of-six-tons-of-gold-
left-in-historic-armenia/
Every time a nostalgic Armenian travels to the land of his ancestors,
currently occupied Turkey, he or she is surrounded by the ubiquitous
volunteer guides who offer their services to hunt for hidden
treasures. Amrenian Weekly's Khatchig Mouradian, who had recently
visited Diyarbekir, recounts his experience with those treasure hunters
and quotes Hrant Dink who used to say: "You are digging and looking for
treasures underground and you fail to realize that the real treasure
was walking on the ground in these lands and was annihilated."
My own mother once visited the house in Adana where she was born; the
occupants of that house, who still did not have the deed, had inquired
from her where the family had hidden their treasures, after offering
lavish Turkish hospitality. Many Turks welcome the visits of the
Armenians as tourists, but many more to this day look for opportunities
to strike gold with the help of those nostalgic tourists. And indeed,
when Armenians were being deported, it seldom crossed their minds
that they were heading to a "final solution" perpetrated by Talaat
Pasha. They were all led to believe that they were being subjected to
some temporary measure, and that they would return to their towns and
homes at the end of the war. Thus, they either buried their treasures
or left them with their trusted Muslim friends, like many Armenians
and Greeks featured in Kemal Yalcin's books.
Recently a story emerged in Switzerland about six tons of gold, shipped
from historic Armenia to Geneva to be deposited at the Credit Suisse
Bank, which refuses to release the treasure to a Turkish family who
claims ownership.
The news first broke in the Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, on October
17. A commentary about the case also appeared in the Turkiye newspaper
by Prof. Cagri Erhan, who, rather than questioning the provenance of
the treasure, questions the Credit Suisse Bank's motives for refusing
to give the gold to a businessman from Elazig (the historic Armenian
city of Kharpert) named Sayid Ali Bayraki.
The Turkologist Hagop Chakerian has translated the article for the
daily Azg in Yerevan, spicing it with his own comments. Most of the
information about this developing story comes through Mr.
Chakerian's article, published in the November 11, 2011 issue of
Azg. The Elazig businessman, Sayid Ali Bayraki, has been fighting for
many years to receive 800,000 Ottoman gold coins inherited from his
father. The Swiss ambassador in Turkey, Raymond Kuntz, has traveled
to Elazig to discuss the case of the gold, the origins of which are
still shrouded in mystery.
Isn't this an extremely extraordinary story? But how could one carry
800,000 Ottoman gold coins, which weigh six metric tons, from Turkey
to Switzerland? According to Mr. Bayraki, his father transported the
six tons of gold to Switzerland, traveling on land and by sea. Today,
the 800,000 Ottoman gold coins are worth $3.5 billion.
In addition to involving the Swiss ambassador to this case, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has intervened on behalf of Mr.
Bayraki. According to the latter, his father had shipped six tons of
gold right on the eve of the putsch by Gen. Kenan Evren on September
12, 1986, who established military dictatorship in Turkey. It is not
difficult to conclude that Bayraki's father was part of the "deep
state," which has created the reign of terror in Turkey. Today,
the web of misdeeds of the "deep state" is being entangled by the
Ergenekon investigations.
Professor Cagri states: "As far as I know, in the first years of
Republican Turkey no citizen has owned that kind of money. For example,
when the IS bank was founded in 1924 its entire capital was 250,000
Turkish liras. It is a major problem to hide that kind of money from
the government. According to Bayraki, his father had earned that
money doing business and he had hidden the gold in a hole dug under
the house. Earning the gold by doing business is questionable because
after the Turkish Republic was established, business was no longer
conducted through the Ottoman currency. It looks like Bayraki's father
trusted the gold to the Swiss bank believing that the banking system
which kept secrecy on Nazi gold would treat his treasures in the same
way. But missed the fact that the gold deposited in the Swiss banks
did not belong to the Nazis; it belonged to the Jews.
The Nazis, who had exterminated millions of Jews and usurped their
property, had a special interest in the gold deposited by their
victims in Swiss banks.
In the 1990s international scandals broke out about the gold deposited
in Swiss banks and the government was forced to divulge some secrets
to the US and British governments. To this day, many organizations
related to Holocaust victims have been chasing those banks. If the
800,000 gold coins were deposited in the Swiss bank imitating the
"Nazi gold," then suspicions should arise because their source is
unknown. Talaat Pasha has written in his "secret file" that 70,000
Armenians were deported from Elazig. No Armenians returned to
Elazig. The wealthy Armenian families were also deported.
Almost all the deported families hid their gold in a secret place or
trusted to their Muslim neighbors, hoping to return one day. And for
years stories were being circulated about hidden Armenian treasures.
Additionally many Armenians visit their parent's native towns to
discover their hidden treasures.
Professor Cagri concludes his remarks by the following statement:
"2015 is around the corner. Armenians attach great importance to
the 100th anniversary of the 'so called' Armenian Genocide. There
is no doubt that the Armenian lobby, which misses no opportunity,
has already focused on the gold whose source is 'unknown.' The bank
Credit Suisse is already considering the case 'scandalous' and believes
'there is some conspiracy behind it.' Therefore, we see where the case
is heading and it is not right to involve the prime minister. This
may create an embarrassing situation for the entire country."
Professor Cagri maybe is referring to the Armenian lawyers when he
mentions lobbyists, who went after the French and German banks and
insurance companies and did a laudable job in recovering some of the
funds owed to the victims of the Genocide . Fortunately, the good
professor is not aware that the same lawyers have put aside the Turks
for the moment and are at each other's throats suing each other.
One cannot dispel the suspicions of conspiracy when the lawyers who
were going after Turks and Turkey have turned their guns on each
other. By the same token, the generous benefactors who initially
contributed princely sums to build a Genocide Museum are again at each
other's throats, suing each other and jeopardizing the completion of
the museum in time for 2015.
In the meantime, many victim groups are suing the Turkish state and
the government is drowned in thousands of lawsuits. The European
Court of Human Rights is inundated with lawsuits. Last year, there
were 5,000 cases. That figure has jumped to 7,000 this year. Turkey
is losing almost all the cases.
Recently, Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu joined Justice Minister
Sadoulla Erguin to give a press conference about these court cases.
He stated that the flood of lawsuits at the European Court, means
that here is a sickness in Turkey which should be remedied.
"Turkey has to adopt a new strategy to forestall so many lawsuits.
We need to change our methods of defense since we lose almost all
cases," he said. He classified the cases in three categories: a)
cases triggered by Turkey's foreign policy. Ankara's aggression on
and occupation of Cyprus territory has produced an avalanche of court
cases; b) Turkey's antiquated domestic laws which trample citizens'
and minority rights have generated 19,000 cases and c) cases generated
by the suppression of freedom of speech and press (like Article 301
in the penal code).
The world is suing Turkey and winning the cases, while Armenian lawyers
fight each other. Six tons of gold are sitting in the Swiss bank. The
gold is up for grabs and it can do a lot of good for Armenia. We have
to rise up to the occasion.
It is time to leave behind internecine squabbles and go after the gold.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Edmond Y. Adazian
Posted on November 25, 2011 by Editor
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2011/11/25/wanted-owners-of-six-tons-of-gold-
left-in-historic-armenia/
Every time a nostalgic Armenian travels to the land of his ancestors,
currently occupied Turkey, he or she is surrounded by the ubiquitous
volunteer guides who offer their services to hunt for hidden
treasures. Amrenian Weekly's Khatchig Mouradian, who had recently
visited Diyarbekir, recounts his experience with those treasure hunters
and quotes Hrant Dink who used to say: "You are digging and looking for
treasures underground and you fail to realize that the real treasure
was walking on the ground in these lands and was annihilated."
My own mother once visited the house in Adana where she was born; the
occupants of that house, who still did not have the deed, had inquired
from her where the family had hidden their treasures, after offering
lavish Turkish hospitality. Many Turks welcome the visits of the
Armenians as tourists, but many more to this day look for opportunities
to strike gold with the help of those nostalgic tourists. And indeed,
when Armenians were being deported, it seldom crossed their minds
that they were heading to a "final solution" perpetrated by Talaat
Pasha. They were all led to believe that they were being subjected to
some temporary measure, and that they would return to their towns and
homes at the end of the war. Thus, they either buried their treasures
or left them with their trusted Muslim friends, like many Armenians
and Greeks featured in Kemal Yalcin's books.
Recently a story emerged in Switzerland about six tons of gold, shipped
from historic Armenia to Geneva to be deposited at the Credit Suisse
Bank, which refuses to release the treasure to a Turkish family who
claims ownership.
The news first broke in the Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, on October
17. A commentary about the case also appeared in the Turkiye newspaper
by Prof. Cagri Erhan, who, rather than questioning the provenance of
the treasure, questions the Credit Suisse Bank's motives for refusing
to give the gold to a businessman from Elazig (the historic Armenian
city of Kharpert) named Sayid Ali Bayraki.
The Turkologist Hagop Chakerian has translated the article for the
daily Azg in Yerevan, spicing it with his own comments. Most of the
information about this developing story comes through Mr.
Chakerian's article, published in the November 11, 2011 issue of
Azg. The Elazig businessman, Sayid Ali Bayraki, has been fighting for
many years to receive 800,000 Ottoman gold coins inherited from his
father. The Swiss ambassador in Turkey, Raymond Kuntz, has traveled
to Elazig to discuss the case of the gold, the origins of which are
still shrouded in mystery.
Isn't this an extremely extraordinary story? But how could one carry
800,000 Ottoman gold coins, which weigh six metric tons, from Turkey
to Switzerland? According to Mr. Bayraki, his father transported the
six tons of gold to Switzerland, traveling on land and by sea. Today,
the 800,000 Ottoman gold coins are worth $3.5 billion.
In addition to involving the Swiss ambassador to this case, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has intervened on behalf of Mr.
Bayraki. According to the latter, his father had shipped six tons of
gold right on the eve of the putsch by Gen. Kenan Evren on September
12, 1986, who established military dictatorship in Turkey. It is not
difficult to conclude that Bayraki's father was part of the "deep
state," which has created the reign of terror in Turkey. Today,
the web of misdeeds of the "deep state" is being entangled by the
Ergenekon investigations.
Professor Cagri states: "As far as I know, in the first years of
Republican Turkey no citizen has owned that kind of money. For example,
when the IS bank was founded in 1924 its entire capital was 250,000
Turkish liras. It is a major problem to hide that kind of money from
the government. According to Bayraki, his father had earned that
money doing business and he had hidden the gold in a hole dug under
the house. Earning the gold by doing business is questionable because
after the Turkish Republic was established, business was no longer
conducted through the Ottoman currency. It looks like Bayraki's father
trusted the gold to the Swiss bank believing that the banking system
which kept secrecy on Nazi gold would treat his treasures in the same
way. But missed the fact that the gold deposited in the Swiss banks
did not belong to the Nazis; it belonged to the Jews.
The Nazis, who had exterminated millions of Jews and usurped their
property, had a special interest in the gold deposited by their
victims in Swiss banks.
In the 1990s international scandals broke out about the gold deposited
in Swiss banks and the government was forced to divulge some secrets
to the US and British governments. To this day, many organizations
related to Holocaust victims have been chasing those banks. If the
800,000 gold coins were deposited in the Swiss bank imitating the
"Nazi gold," then suspicions should arise because their source is
unknown. Talaat Pasha has written in his "secret file" that 70,000
Armenians were deported from Elazig. No Armenians returned to
Elazig. The wealthy Armenian families were also deported.
Almost all the deported families hid their gold in a secret place or
trusted to their Muslim neighbors, hoping to return one day. And for
years stories were being circulated about hidden Armenian treasures.
Additionally many Armenians visit their parent's native towns to
discover their hidden treasures.
Professor Cagri concludes his remarks by the following statement:
"2015 is around the corner. Armenians attach great importance to
the 100th anniversary of the 'so called' Armenian Genocide. There
is no doubt that the Armenian lobby, which misses no opportunity,
has already focused on the gold whose source is 'unknown.' The bank
Credit Suisse is already considering the case 'scandalous' and believes
'there is some conspiracy behind it.' Therefore, we see where the case
is heading and it is not right to involve the prime minister. This
may create an embarrassing situation for the entire country."
Professor Cagri maybe is referring to the Armenian lawyers when he
mentions lobbyists, who went after the French and German banks and
insurance companies and did a laudable job in recovering some of the
funds owed to the victims of the Genocide . Fortunately, the good
professor is not aware that the same lawyers have put aside the Turks
for the moment and are at each other's throats suing each other.
One cannot dispel the suspicions of conspiracy when the lawyers who
were going after Turks and Turkey have turned their guns on each
other. By the same token, the generous benefactors who initially
contributed princely sums to build a Genocide Museum are again at each
other's throats, suing each other and jeopardizing the completion of
the museum in time for 2015.
In the meantime, many victim groups are suing the Turkish state and
the government is drowned in thousands of lawsuits. The European
Court of Human Rights is inundated with lawsuits. Last year, there
were 5,000 cases. That figure has jumped to 7,000 this year. Turkey
is losing almost all the cases.
Recently, Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu joined Justice Minister
Sadoulla Erguin to give a press conference about these court cases.
He stated that the flood of lawsuits at the European Court, means
that here is a sickness in Turkey which should be remedied.
"Turkey has to adopt a new strategy to forestall so many lawsuits.
We need to change our methods of defense since we lose almost all
cases," he said. He classified the cases in three categories: a)
cases triggered by Turkey's foreign policy. Ankara's aggression on
and occupation of Cyprus territory has produced an avalanche of court
cases; b) Turkey's antiquated domestic laws which trample citizens'
and minority rights have generated 19,000 cases and c) cases generated
by the suppression of freedom of speech and press (like Article 301
in the penal code).
The world is suing Turkey and winning the cases, while Armenian lawyers
fight each other. Six tons of gold are sitting in the Swiss bank. The
gold is up for grabs and it can do a lot of good for Armenia. We have
to rise up to the occasion.
It is time to leave behind internecine squabbles and go after the gold.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress