YEREVAN (ArmenianGenocide100.org) — Numerous documents published
by Turkish researches reveal that not only Young Turks but also founders
of the Turkish republic have committed major crimes against Armenians.
Turkologist, senior researcher at Armenia’s National Academy of
Sciences Anush Hovhannisyan presents an article, titled “Kemal Ataturk
and depriving Armenians of property: coverage of Turkish documents and
publications.”
In 2005, Turkey’s Cadastral Office found some Ottoman documents and
passed them to the country’s National Security Service. According to one
of the top officials of the NSS, the papers could lead to “unfounded
claims on Genocide” and similar unwanted speculations. The materials
were thus kept secret, with only a limited number of people granted
opportunity to study them [«Osmanli arsivleri açilirsa resmi tez
zayiflar». Bolsohays News, Bianet.org].
Dickran Kouymjian was the first to address the issue of returning the
Armenians’ properties at the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, where he
delivered a report titled
“Confiscation
of Armenian Property and the Destruction of Armenian Historical
Monuments as a Manifestation of the Genocidal Process.” According to
him, the Turkish government had confiscated some 30.000 kg of gold from
the Armenians’ bank accounts which would now amount to over $320
million.
Besides the bank accounts, the Ottoman authorities have gathered
detailed data of the Armenians’ activities in American insurance
companies and a number of other organizations. (Henry Morgenthau,
Memoires, Paris, 1919, p. 292; Kévork K. Baghdjian, La confiscation par
le gouvernement turc, des biens arméniens dits “abandonnés”, Montréal,
1987, pp. 270-280).
But if some data concerning community property can be found, it is
near to impossible to find information on personal property
registration. (Raymond H. Kévorkian et Paul B. Baboudjian, Les Arméniens
dans l’Empire ottoman à la veille du Génocide, Paris: Arhis, 1992, pp.
57-60).
[
See also: Lawyer: There is no question concerning Turkey’s liability, based on int’l law and practice]
At the Paris peace conference, heads of the Armenian delegation
Avetis Aharonian and Boghos Nubar pasha presented a report, estimating
the losses at 14.5 billion francs that would in 1990 amount to $100
billion.
It is noteworthy that the Turks had planned the confiscation of the
Armenian and Greek property long before that. According to the Ottoman
Ministry of Finance, Turkey’s debt exceeded 1/3 of the state budget in
1908-1909. Besides, once the Balkan wars were over, Turkey was bereft of
many of its taxpayers. Following the final revolution in 1913, the
Young Turks decided to seize all economic levers from non-Turkish
nationals, with the war serving as an opportune moment for implementing
their plans.
As a result, the Ottoman Empire’s budget, despite severe wartime conditions, registered an unprecedented growth.
The Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918 marked the Ottoman
Empire’s defeat in the First World War. Turkey thus made a decision to
return the Armenians’ properties in case they came back and applied for
their belongings.
Photo: Document of a decision made by Ankara government, banning the Armenians’ return (Mustafa Kemal’s signature is encircled)