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TURKEY TO RETURN ONLY MEAGER PORTION OF SEIZED PROPERTIES
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
http://asbarez.com/111936/turkey-to-return-only-meager-portion-of-seized-properties/
Wednesday, July 24th, 2013
St. Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir, Turkey
Representatives from non-Muslim organizations in Turkey have announced
that they have received a positive response for only 16 percent of
the applications they made for the return of their properties seized
by the state in the first half of the 20th century, Today's Zaman
reports, quoting Taraf daily.
Recent remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying his
government has returned properties that in total valued $2.5 billion
to non-Muslims, has brought the issue of property seized from Turkey's
minorities back on the nation's agenda.
In 2011, Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
government adopted a decree to return all confiscated immovable
property belonging to minority organizations in Turkey.
According to the decree, minority organizations are able to reclaim
real property they had declared back in 1936. All real property,
cemeteries, and fountains will be returned to their rightful owners.
Immovable property currently belonging to third parties will also be
paid for.
The 1936 Law on Foundations aimed to control non-Muslim organizations
by placing them under the guardianship of the Directorate General
for Foundations (VGM).
Since 2011, non-Muslim groups have applied to the VGM demanding the
return of 542 properties. However, they have been unsuccessful in
repossessing most of their seized property over the past two years.
In remarks to Taraf, Laki Vingas, head of the Minorities Foundation,
explained, "One hundred and sixteen minority foundations have applied
for the return of 542 properties, but only 253 properties have been
returned. Applications for the return of 829 seized properties were
rejected. No assessment has been made about the situation of 460
properties. With regard to 18 properties, which were acquired by
third persons, a decision was made for compensation to be paid,"
adding that only 16 percent of the applications have been responded
to in the affirmative.
According to Vingas, the process concerning the return of seized
property belonging to non-Muslims will be concluded within three
months and the rate of repossession will remain at 25 percent at most.
With regard to the rejected applications, Vingas said rejections
mostly happen due to missing documents and failure to determine the
exact location of the property, adding that some minority foundations
have taken legal action concerning their rejected applications.
Å~^ahin Gezer, a member of the real estate commission of the Turkish
Armenian Patriarchate, told the daily that he finds the figure cited
by Erdogan exaggerated, adding that if all the seized property of
non-Muslim foundations had been returned, only then would the value
equal $2.5 billion.
Voicing his disapproval of the slow progress in the return of seized
properties, Gezer said, "The process is running very slowly. The state
knows better than we do what property was ours and what was not. The
documents that the state demands from us are documents that we must
acquire from the state itself. But we cannot get these documents from
most institutions; the documents we want are covered-up secrets at the
end of the day. When we cannot get these documents, our applications
are rejected and we cannot prove that that property was ours."
The Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation is another
non-Muslim foundation, most of whose applications for the return of
seized property were rejected.
Foundation head Vartkes Ergun Ayık told Taraf that they applied for
the return of 190 properties to the foundation but that only 17 have
been returned to them.
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
http://asbarez.com/111936/turkey-to-return-only-meager-portion-of-seized-properties/
Wednesday, July 24th, 2013
St. Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir, Turkey
Representatives from non-Muslim organizations in Turkey have announced
that they have received a positive response for only 16 percent of
the applications they made for the return of their properties seized
by the state in the first half of the 20th century, Today's Zaman
reports, quoting Taraf daily.
Recent remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying his
government has returned properties that in total valued $2.5 billion
to non-Muslims, has brought the issue of property seized from Turkey's
minorities back on the nation's agenda.
In 2011, Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
government adopted a decree to return all confiscated immovable
property belonging to minority organizations in Turkey.
According to the decree, minority organizations are able to reclaim
real property they had declared back in 1936. All real property,
cemeteries, and fountains will be returned to their rightful owners.
Immovable property currently belonging to third parties will also be
paid for.
The 1936 Law on Foundations aimed to control non-Muslim organizations
by placing them under the guardianship of the Directorate General
for Foundations (VGM).
Since 2011, non-Muslim groups have applied to the VGM demanding the
return of 542 properties. However, they have been unsuccessful in
repossessing most of their seized property over the past two years.
In remarks to Taraf, Laki Vingas, head of the Minorities Foundation,
explained, "One hundred and sixteen minority foundations have applied
for the return of 542 properties, but only 253 properties have been
returned. Applications for the return of 829 seized properties were
rejected. No assessment has been made about the situation of 460
properties. With regard to 18 properties, which were acquired by
third persons, a decision was made for compensation to be paid,"
adding that only 16 percent of the applications have been responded
to in the affirmative.
According to Vingas, the process concerning the return of seized
property belonging to non-Muslims will be concluded within three
months and the rate of repossession will remain at 25 percent at most.
With regard to the rejected applications, Vingas said rejections
mostly happen due to missing documents and failure to determine the
exact location of the property, adding that some minority foundations
have taken legal action concerning their rejected applications.
Å~^ahin Gezer, a member of the real estate commission of the Turkish
Armenian Patriarchate, told the daily that he finds the figure cited
by Erdogan exaggerated, adding that if all the seized property of
non-Muslim foundations had been returned, only then would the value
equal $2.5 billion.
Voicing his disapproval of the slow progress in the return of seized
properties, Gezer said, "The process is running very slowly. The state
knows better than we do what property was ours and what was not. The
documents that the state demands from us are documents that we must
acquire from the state itself. But we cannot get these documents from
most institutions; the documents we want are covered-up secrets at the
end of the day. When we cannot get these documents, our applications
are rejected and we cannot prove that that property was ours."
The Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation is another
non-Muslim foundation, most of whose applications for the return of
seized property were rejected.
Foundation head Vartkes Ergun Ayık told Taraf that they applied for
the return of 190 properties to the foundation but that only 17 have
been returned to them.