ARAM I: TURKEY IGNORES CALLS FOR RETURN OF PROPERTY CONFISCATED IN GENOCIDE YEARS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 5, 2012 – 15:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Archbishop Paul Sayah, Vicar General of the Maronite
Patriarchate met with Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia His
Holiness Aram I on April 3 to report on Patriarch Bechara El-Rai’s
visit to Turkey.

The Archbishop said that the Patriarch, who was warmly received by
Turkish authorities, referred to the Armenian Genocide issue during
his meetings with the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Archbishop Sayeh said that during the patriarch’s discussion with
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the PM insisted that Turkey
believes in “the separation of religion and state, defends human
rights and democratic principles and stands up for peace, justice
and interreligious harmony.”

Erdogan also assured the Patriarch that as legislated, Turkey will
return the confiscated properties of religious communities to their
legal owners.

After listening to the report, His Holiness Aram I thanked the
Patriarch for initiating the Armenian Genocide discussion and said:
“First, Turkey’s often-repeated suggestion that historians should
discuss the Armenian Genocide is void of any credibility, because
established evidence shows that the Genocide of 1915 was planned and
executed by the Ottoman authorities. Second, Turkey has decided to
return properties confiscated since 1939, but has ignored the issue
of the Armenian properties confiscated between 1915 and 1920.”

The Catholicos then informed the Archbishop of the letter he had
written to Prime Minister Erdogan raising this question, which as
yet remains unanswered.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress