By Ara Khachatourian
His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, said Wednesday that the lawsuit filed last week in Turkey’s Constitutional Court by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia to regain ownership of the historic headquarters of the Armenian Church is Sis (currently Kozan), in south-central Turkey, a “positive” step.
“We believe these are the first steps in order to continue the demand of the rights of the Armenian people,” said Karekin II expressing hope that the lawsuit will have a positive outcome.
The pontiff explained that the Armenian Church holds properties, which were confiscated by Turkey during the Armenian Genocide and lawsuits such as the one filed last week seek to regain those properties and have it returned to the church.
Karekin II said that the lawsuit was a positive first step to bring justice to the Armenian people.
The Catholicos, who is currently if Washington to preside over and attend events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial, spoke to reporters via a telephone press conference on Wednesday afternoon and touched on other issues such as the conflict in Syria and the Middle East.
Convinced that recognition of the Genocide and compensation should go together, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia on the year of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, has filed the lawsuit In Turkey, thus setting a precedent for the descendants of the martyrs to reclaim their family belongings.