SYRIAN ARMENIANS’ LAST CHANCE TO CLAIMS FOR THEIR PROPERTIES IN TURKEY
By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier
March 24, 2009
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 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 billion, while the estimated value of Turkish property in Syrian
territory is 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.