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FAR-SEEING DECISION OF THE TURKISH AUTHORITIES
Experts' club
http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__9639/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx
Sept 1 2011
Georgia
On August 27th the Government of the Republic of Turkey issued a decree
about the return of assets to communities of religious minorities that
were confiscated in 1936 and following years. Assets were returned to
Greeks, Armenians and Jews of Turkey. If their properties were sold
and they already have other legitimate owners then the authorities are
obliged to pay their former owners relevant compensations. The list
of assets that the Turkish government decided to return to Christian
and Jewish communities include former monasteries, buildings of former
hospitals and schools, cemeteries, etc.
The process of confiscation of assets from religious minorities began
in 1936 and all non-Muslim communities were told to present full
information on their assets. According to the decree of 1974 these
communities were categorically prohibited from buying new properties.
Despite the fact that Parliamentary opposition of Turkey and their
supporting other forces spoke against this decision of the country's
government Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the
following speech at the traditional dinner (Iftar) which was dedicated
to the end of the holy month of Muslims - Ramadan and which took place
in the Central Museum of Istanbul on August 28th and was attended
by representatives of countries political and religious circles as
well as over 150 non-Muslim religious and public figures: "pressure
on individuals for their ethnic origin, faith, different lifestyle is
now a thing of the past. In Turkey all citizens are equal before the
law and the Constitution and no one stands above others. Everybody of
the 74-million population of our country is of first-grade. We are in
Istanbul where mosques, churches and Synagogues co-exist peacefully
side by side and this makes us different from other countries.
Provocateurs can interfere into legalized relations no longer ".
The leader of the country issued a decree for specially created groups
to examine and study register and fond archives in the following 12
months in order to start instituting measures stipulated in the new
decree in real life. A list of those important objects that are to
be transferred in the near future has already been specified.
Despite the fact that it's only been several days since the Turkish
government announced about this far-seeing decree coming into force a
large number of people assessed and unanimously welcomed this humane
step that is directed at restoration of hisotrical justice and which,
first of all, will become one of guarantees of further progress of
the Turkish state and the Turkish society.
The European Union also welcomed this historical decree. The EU had
previously recommended Turkey to abolish laws that limit rights of
non-Muslim population of the country of 74 million. This non-Muslim
population amounts to less than one percent of the entire population
(only 120 000 Christians and 25 000 Jews).
This decision will be perceived as a new impulse for descendents of
those Muhajirs that were expelled from their homeland and robbed
multimillion diasporas of which today live in Turkey and dream of
their return to their historical homeland.
This decree should give food for thought to those imperial forces
that are artificially creating ethnic and confessional problems in
the North Caucasus and which is a reason for destruction of tens of
thousands of people.
This precedent must be a good lesson for the Russian authorities and
the new leadership of the separatist Abkhazia that are so deeply
engaged in seizure and distribution of properties of those three
hundred thousand Georgians that were expelled and robbed that they
do not even want to hear anything about resolving this issue. And
delays in resolving this issue may even result in another irreparable
confrontation.
It is clear to every reasonable person that resolving this issue
has no alternative and that is why the international community is so
persists in demanding restoration of historical justice and timely
restoration of rights of the afflicted population.
Experts' club
http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__9639/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx
Sept 1 2011
Georgia
On August 27th the Government of the Republic of Turkey issued a decree
about the return of assets to communities of religious minorities that
were confiscated in 1936 and following years. Assets were returned to
Greeks, Armenians and Jews of Turkey. If their properties were sold
and they already have other legitimate owners then the authorities are
obliged to pay their former owners relevant compensations. The list
of assets that the Turkish government decided to return to Christian
and Jewish communities include former monasteries, buildings of former
hospitals and schools, cemeteries, etc.
The process of confiscation of assets from religious minorities began
in 1936 and all non-Muslim communities were told to present full
information on their assets. According to the decree of 1974 these
communities were categorically prohibited from buying new properties.
Despite the fact that Parliamentary opposition of Turkey and their
supporting other forces spoke against this decision of the country's
government Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the
following speech at the traditional dinner (Iftar) which was dedicated
to the end of the holy month of Muslims - Ramadan and which took place
in the Central Museum of Istanbul on August 28th and was attended
by representatives of countries political and religious circles as
well as over 150 non-Muslim religious and public figures: "pressure
on individuals for their ethnic origin, faith, different lifestyle is
now a thing of the past. In Turkey all citizens are equal before the
law and the Constitution and no one stands above others. Everybody of
the 74-million population of our country is of first-grade. We are in
Istanbul where mosques, churches and Synagogues co-exist peacefully
side by side and this makes us different from other countries.
Provocateurs can interfere into legalized relations no longer ".
The leader of the country issued a decree for specially created groups
to examine and study register and fond archives in the following 12
months in order to start instituting measures stipulated in the new
decree in real life. A list of those important objects that are to
be transferred in the near future has already been specified.
Despite the fact that it's only been several days since the Turkish
government announced about this far-seeing decree coming into force a
large number of people assessed and unanimously welcomed this humane
step that is directed at restoration of hisotrical justice and which,
first of all, will become one of guarantees of further progress of
the Turkish state and the Turkish society.
The European Union also welcomed this historical decree. The EU had
previously recommended Turkey to abolish laws that limit rights of
non-Muslim population of the country of 74 million. This non-Muslim
population amounts to less than one percent of the entire population
(only 120 000 Christians and 25 000 Jews).
This decision will be perceived as a new impulse for descendents of
those Muhajirs that were expelled from their homeland and robbed
multimillion diasporas of which today live in Turkey and dream of
their return to their historical homeland.
This decree should give food for thought to those imperial forces
that are artificially creating ethnic and confessional problems in
the North Caucasus and which is a reason for destruction of tens of
thousands of people.
This precedent must be a good lesson for the Russian authorities and
the new leadership of the separatist Abkhazia that are so deeply
engaged in seizure and distribution of properties of those three
hundred thousand Georgians that were expelled and robbed that they
do not even want to hear anything about resolving this issue. And
delays in resolving this issue may even result in another irreparable
confrontation.
It is clear to every reasonable person that resolving this issue
has no alternative and that is why the international community is so
persists in demanding restoration of historical justice and timely
restoration of rights of the afflicted population.