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MINORITY FOUNDATION TO FILE LAWSUIT
Hurriyet Daily News
Oct 1 2012
Turkey
The Armenian Protestant Church Foundation in GedikpaÅ~_a is preparing
to file a lawsuit against the General Directorate of Foundations
for the properties that have not been returned as part of the law on
foundations passed last year.
The church has not been able to take back the Tuzla orphans' camp,
the construction of which was contributed to by killed Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink. The General Directorate of Foundations decided
to pay 140,000 Turkish Liras to the foundation for a four-story
building located in one of the busiest streets of GedikpaÅ~_a,
despite it actually being worth one million liras. The decision was
announced under the name of the General Directorate of Foundations
Istanbul 1st District Office's Foundation Services Department.
Krikor Agabaloglu, the pastor of the church, spoke to the Hurriyet
Daily News about the latest developments on the issue. "Our land
in Tuzla was not returned and now they are proposing 140,000 liras
for a building that costs one million. This is shameful; they are
ridiculing us," he said. "We have five foundations and only two of
them have been returned. We are struggling to survive with only the
support of the church community."
Agabaloglu said the building's price would be determined with an
expert review and a lawsuit would be filed as soon as possible.
He criticized both the state and the minority communities. "[Minority
communities] cheerfully gave positive messages and conducted visits of
thanks as if everything was alright. However, we could not even take
one further step from the point we started from," Agabaloglu said,
adding that the mentality that occupied their property 30 years ago
had not changed and that the state was continuously prevaricating
about the issue.
The law on the return of minority foundations was passed by the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government last year.
Turkey's minority groups in 1936 were forced to give the government
declarations detailing the property in their possession. Over the
years, many of these properties did not remain registered under the
minority foundations' names, and some were even sold to third parties.
Hurriyet Daily News
Oct 1 2012
Turkey
The Armenian Protestant Church Foundation in GedikpaÅ~_a is preparing
to file a lawsuit against the General Directorate of Foundations
for the properties that have not been returned as part of the law on
foundations passed last year.
The church has not been able to take back the Tuzla orphans' camp,
the construction of which was contributed to by killed Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink. The General Directorate of Foundations decided
to pay 140,000 Turkish Liras to the foundation for a four-story
building located in one of the busiest streets of GedikpaÅ~_a,
despite it actually being worth one million liras. The decision was
announced under the name of the General Directorate of Foundations
Istanbul 1st District Office's Foundation Services Department.
Krikor Agabaloglu, the pastor of the church, spoke to the Hurriyet
Daily News about the latest developments on the issue. "Our land
in Tuzla was not returned and now they are proposing 140,000 liras
for a building that costs one million. This is shameful; they are
ridiculing us," he said. "We have five foundations and only two of
them have been returned. We are struggling to survive with only the
support of the church community."
Agabaloglu said the building's price would be determined with an
expert review and a lawsuit would be filed as soon as possible.
He criticized both the state and the minority communities. "[Minority
communities] cheerfully gave positive messages and conducted visits of
thanks as if everything was alright. However, we could not even take
one further step from the point we started from," Agabaloglu said,
adding that the mentality that occupied their property 30 years ago
had not changed and that the state was continuously prevaricating
about the issue.
The law on the return of minority foundations was passed by the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government last year.
Turkey's minority groups in 1936 were forced to give the government
declarations detailing the property in their possession. Over the
years, many of these properties did not remain registered under the
minority foundations' names, and some were even sold to third parties.