We, descendants of the survivors of the deportations, massacres and violence of all nature – abductions, forced conversions, looting, spoliation and destruction – by which the genocide of the Armenians was carried out in Turkey;
We, witnesses and victims of the harm suffered by the Armenian nation in Turkey as a result of these crimes, of the loss of their rights, of the confiscation of their assets, and finally of the denial of justice inflicted for nearly one hundred years;
In the name of our parents and ancestors forced into expatriation and exile, and in view of the necessity of establishing constructive and balanced relations between the peoples of Asia Minor,
Without prejudice to any action that might be undertaken in a comparable aim,
call on the Republic of turkey
To return the totality of the confiscated Armenian national assets. These assets consist of monasteries, churches, chapels, cemeteries, hospitals, schools and other community buildings, together with their outbuildings, lands, woods, and other possessions, the complete or ongoing inventories of which can be consulted in published documents or found in archives, mainly those of the Turkish State, which remain to this day largely sealed. These assets include movables, in particular art objects and manuscripts.
To these must be added other major monuments which, to the same extent as the preceding, bear witness to the history and culture of Armenia as well to the multi-cultural reality that constituted the richness of Ottoman Asia Minor.
Restitution of these assets, in their own right or as a protective measure, is requested in view of registering them in the name of the Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople/Istanbul, whose prerogatives and status need to be extended and strengthened, or on behalf of the ad hoc foundations that will be established under its aegis for the purpose of receiving them.
Restitution entails, on the one hand, compensating all third parties who, through the application of the successive laws governing the confiscation and redistribution of the above-mentioned Armenian assets, today own, rent or use, these assets, whether they are public State domain goods or are lawfully held by legal or private entities; and, on the other hand taking steps to repair damages, for the purposes of the protection, rehabilitation, restoration or reconstruction of the monuments, or to pay compensation in all the individual cases that may be revealed by a detailed examination of the situations.
Last of all, it entails the establishment by the Turkish State of a special fund, able to receive contributions from the international community, for the purpose of supporting over the coming decades this public endeavor of safeguard and reparation, which is of universal utility. This necessarily includes the creation of an Armenian commission composed of scientists, technicians and legal experts to act as interlocutor, manager and spokesperson, formed around the Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople/Istanbul.
We also call on the Republic of Turkey to re-establish the former toponyms, in particular the Armenian names that designated the location of these assets and monuments, and more generally the places inhabited by the Armenian population; in particular to post the name in Armenian at the entrance to the cities, villages and hamlets concerned and on the road signs that present the geography of the territory.
Paris, 13 April 2015
Collective 2015: Reparation
International Union of Land and Culture Organizations