ANKARA: Turkey Returns 1,014 Properties To Minority Foundations

TURKEY RETURNS 1,014 PROPERTIES TO MINORITY FOUNDATIONS

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 11 2015

DAILY SABAH

Within the context of reforms toward different faith groups in
Turkey, 1,014 confiscated foundation properties have been returned
to minority foundations. According to information obtained from the
Prime Ministry’s Office of Public Diplomacy, a 60-acre property that
belonged to the Mor Gabriel Foundation was returned to the Syriac
community in 2013. A statement from the Office of Public Diplomacy
indicated that the land of the Mor Gabriel Monastery is the largest
land to be returned to foundations since the process of returning
seized goods belonging to minority foundations started in 2011. A
42,259-square-meter land that belonged to the Foundation of Yedikule
Surp Pırgic Armenian Hospital was one of the larger restitutions. The
Office of Public Diplomacy underlined that the evaluation process
for some other 150 properties is still ongoing. Furthermore,
the restoration process of houses of prayer used by communities of
different faiths also accelerated. The Sumela Monastery in Trabzon and
Holy Cross Church on Aghtamar in Van, St. Giragos Armenian Church in
Diyarbakır, the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae and Surp Vortvots
Vorodman Church, which belongs to the Mektebi Foundation, were also
reconstructed and opened to worship in recent years.

Currently, 165 community foundations are actively operating in Turkey.

Of these 165 foundations the Greek community owns 76, the Armenian
community owns 53, the Jewish community owns 19, the Syriac community
owns 10, the Chaldean community owns three, the Bulgarian community
owns two, the Georgian community owns one and the Maronite community
owns one.