Tweet
TURKEY RETURNS PROPERTY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, FEARING TO LOSE NUMEROUS LAWSUITS
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
September 6, 2011
In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years, is simply performing
regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which national
minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived of in
the years of the World War I.
Erdogan's government is gradually drawing Turkey closer to the position
of a regional leader. The recent proof of it is the cabinet decision
on returning to Christian churches hundreds of pieces of property
confiscated by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1936. With specific regard
to the Armenian property, the assets to be returned make up only 1%
of the property confiscated during the World War I.
PanARMENIAN.Net - On August 28 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
signed a decree on the return of Christian and Jewish religious
property confiscated after the 1930s. The properties involved include
hospitals, orphanage and school buildings, burial grounds.
The Government also intends to pay compensation for the property sold
away. The property subject to return includes the former hospital,
orphanage, school buildings, cemeteries, shops, ground area, as well
as all assets of the Fund "Surb Harutiun" (Holly Resurrection).
Erdogan's decision, most likely, is dictated by the conduct of
Iran, where the Armenian community enjoys the right of religious
minority and has representatives in parliament. So, there is nothing
extraordinary in this decision. Presumably, in this way Turkey decided
to sugar its refusal of ratification of the Protocols. An important
role was played here also by the European Court of Human Rights,
where lots of complaints from the rightful inheritors of the lands
and buildings had piled up. At the same time, the Court implicitly
admitted that property of the Christians was seized illegally. Ankara
made an accurate calculation: it is much cheaper and easier to return
the properties than to pay the claims, in view of inflation. It costs
billions of dollars at current prices. Even a country with an advanced
economy cannot withstand it, let alone Turkey, whose economic boom
may soon give way to depression.
Christian property was confiscated in Turkey, of course, illegally:
in 1936, the remaining Armenians, residing mostly in Istanbul, were
ordered to submit the list of their property, which was immediately
transferred to the possession of the State. In 1974 the property of
the Greek Orthodox Church was seized. In fact, thousands of buildings,
schools, summer camps were transferred to the possession of the State,
which directly put them on sale.
Erdogan's decision was announced a few weeks after the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed
the amendment on the "Return of Christian Churches" with a vote of 43
to 1 (H.Res.306). In March of the current year a similar resolution
was adopted under the pressure of the Greek lobby (H.Res.180).
In 2008 the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) introduced
a bill "On estates", which received force of law and provided an
opportunity to national minorities to regain ownership over their
properties seized in 1936 and 1975. According to the decision, the
property owned by 162 minority foundations was to be returned in the
period of 12 months. The State is to pay the community foundations
a sum equivalent to the property sold to third parties. Only in
Istanbul 30 structures owned by the fund of Armenian churches
are to be returned. In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years,
is performing regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which
national minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived
of in the years of the World War I.
Karine Ter-Sahakyan
PanARMENIAN.Net
September 6, 2011
In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years, is simply performing
regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which national
minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived of in
the years of the World War I.
Erdogan's government is gradually drawing Turkey closer to the position
of a regional leader. The recent proof of it is the cabinet decision
on returning to Christian churches hundreds of pieces of property
confiscated by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1936. With specific regard
to the Armenian property, the assets to be returned make up only 1%
of the property confiscated during the World War I.
PanARMENIAN.Net - On August 28 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
signed a decree on the return of Christian and Jewish religious
property confiscated after the 1930s. The properties involved include
hospitals, orphanage and school buildings, burial grounds.
The Government also intends to pay compensation for the property sold
away. The property subject to return includes the former hospital,
orphanage, school buildings, cemeteries, shops, ground area, as well
as all assets of the Fund "Surb Harutiun" (Holly Resurrection).
Erdogan's decision, most likely, is dictated by the conduct of
Iran, where the Armenian community enjoys the right of religious
minority and has representatives in parliament. So, there is nothing
extraordinary in this decision. Presumably, in this way Turkey decided
to sugar its refusal of ratification of the Protocols. An important
role was played here also by the European Court of Human Rights,
where lots of complaints from the rightful inheritors of the lands
and buildings had piled up. At the same time, the Court implicitly
admitted that property of the Christians was seized illegally. Ankara
made an accurate calculation: it is much cheaper and easier to return
the properties than to pay the claims, in view of inflation. It costs
billions of dollars at current prices. Even a country with an advanced
economy cannot withstand it, let alone Turkey, whose economic boom
may soon give way to depression.
Christian property was confiscated in Turkey, of course, illegally:
in 1936, the remaining Armenians, residing mostly in Istanbul, were
ordered to submit the list of their property, which was immediately
transferred to the possession of the State. In 1974 the property of
the Greek Orthodox Church was seized. In fact, thousands of buildings,
schools, summer camps were transferred to the possession of the State,
which directly put them on sale.
Erdogan's decision was announced a few weeks after the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed
the amendment on the "Return of Christian Churches" with a vote of 43
to 1 (H.Res.306). In March of the current year a similar resolution
was adopted under the pressure of the Greek lobby (H.Res.180).
In 2008 the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) introduced
a bill "On estates", which received force of law and provided an
opportunity to national minorities to regain ownership over their
properties seized in 1936 and 1975. According to the decision, the
property owned by 162 minority foundations was to be returned in the
period of 12 months. The State is to pay the community foundations
a sum equivalent to the property sold to third parties. Only in
Istanbul 30 structures owned by the fund of Armenian churches
are to be returned. In fact, Ankara, with a delay of 80 years,
is performing regulations of the Lausanne Peace Treaty under which
national minorities should be repaid the property they were deprived
of in the years of the World War I.