Syrian Armenians' Last Chance to Claims for Their
Properties in Turkey
24-03-2009 12:30:00 | USA | Articles and Analyses
By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier
In a column I wrote last year, I alerted Armenians in
Syria, Egypt and Iraq that they had a unique opportunity to
receive compensation for their properties in Turkey.
All four governments, after protracted negotiations
stretching over several decades, are finally close to resolving
their conflicting land claims arising from the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire. The Republic of Turkey had confiscated tens of
thousands of properties owned by citizens of the three Arab
countries and vice versa.
During a meeting on May 12, 2008, Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan signed
an agreement which is expected to be implemented shortly.
Turkey claims that in 1956 the Syrian government
confiscated a large number of lands belonging to Turkish
citizens. In a reciprocal move, Ankara confiscated in 1966
properties owned by Syrian nationals. After lengthy
negotiations, Turkey and Syria signed a protocol in 1972 and
created a joint commission to investigate these claims,
including the properties Syrian Armenians left behind in the
Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay), after its annexation by Turkey
in 1938.
The Turkish government transferred the title of the
confiscated Syrian-owned properties to the National Real Estate
General Directorate. The total estimated value of real estate
owned by Turks and Syrians in each other's countries, including
rental income since 1966, is more than $40 billion, according to
an article by Ercan Yavuz in the March 3, 2009 issue of Today's
Zaman. The Real Estate Directorate has been renting these Syrian
properties to Turkish farmers and businesses. The Central Bank
of Turkey is holding the rental income in a special account
under the name of "the rightful owners." The agreement signed by
Syria and Turkey stipulates that by 2010 the Central Bank will
return these accumulated funds to the original property owners,
according to Yavuz.
The Turkish National Real Estate General Directorate's
figures indicate that Syrians own 15,067 properties in Turkey,
corresponding to 135,000 hectares (334,000 acres or 135 million
square meters). On the other hand, Turks reportedly own 2.3
million square meters of property in Syria. "The monetary value
of Syrian property in Turkey is estimated to be $10 billion,
while the estimated value of Turkish property in Syrian
territory is $40 billion," Yavuz reported.
In an interesting sideline, Turkish citizen Mustafa
Muzaffer Salih, whose father was a major landowner in Syria,
told Yavuz: "Syrians own more than 200 stores in Istanbul's
Grand Bazaar.... Some of these properties were given to
relatives of ministers in the parties that were in the coalition
governments of the first and second National Front governments."
To set things right, Salih advocates that "The shame of the past
should be cleansed."
Turkey, Egypt and Iraq have had a similar quarrel. In 1982,
Turkish officials signed an agreement with Egypt to settle their
land dispute. In 1985, Turkey and Iraq agreed to allow property
owners in their respective countries five years to file a claim.
The due date was subsequently extended twice. Turkey claimed
that its citizens own in Iraq about 160,000 acres of land, 150
buildings, 11 charitable foundations, more than 2 million Iraqi
dinars and 8,000 pounds sterling. On the other hand, Iraq claims
that its citizens own 48 buildings and 11 plots of land in
Turkey. The American invasion of Iraq interrupted the settlement
of these claims.
Armenian organizations in Syria, Iraq and Egypt should urge
Armenians citizens of these countries, including those who have
migrated overseas, to submit to them copies of trust deeds or
other documentary evidence of properties they owned in Turkey.
The organizations should then provide the list of these
properties to their respective governments, demanding that
Turkey pay an appropriate compensation to the heirs of the
original owners.
As I mentioned in my earlier column, the main advantage of
this approach is that Armenians do not need to hire lawyers and
go to court, as officials of the three Arab countries, on behalf
of their citizens, are negotiating directly with their Turkish
counterparts to settle all such reciprocal claims.
This is a unique opportunity for Armenians in Syria, Iraq
and Egypt to take advantage of without delay. Once the
settlement is finalized, it would be too late for Armenians to
make any further claims from the Turkish government regarding
their properties.
Just to set the record straight, receiving compensation for
such personal properties does not invalidate the Armenian
people's legitimate claims to Western Armenia which remains
under Turkish occupation.