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[Yervant1]

ROBBERY OF THE CENTURY: PRIOR GOAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WAS TO SNATCH PROPERTY OF ARMENIANS

13:30 / 22.09.2014

Matenadaran senior official Anahit Astoyan who for seven years studied
the Armenian, Turkish and other sources to learn the volume of robbed
Armenian property in the Ottoman Empire from 1914-1923 stresses that
one of the prior goals of the Armenian genocide was to snatch the
property of Armenians as before the World War the Armenians were
having a great role in the economy of the Ottoman Empire.

Speaking to Nyut.am, Astoyan said that the industry and trade in
particular was in the hands of Armenians and the young Turks were
strictly concerned that the economic empowerment of Armenians will
open a path for them to politics.

The contribution of Armenians to the economy of the Ottoman Empire
was reaching 69-80% while other foreign sources say even 90%.

The Turks discussed and adopted a program of depriving Armenians
of their property and they even worked out special legislation. On
June 1, 1915 a Law on Displacement has been issued and one and half
millions Armenians were displaced and annihilated.

On June 10 orders on what to do with the abandoned property of
Armenians were published and already on September 13 on the level of
Ottoman parliament a law on Abandoned Property was issued.

The Turkish authorities were claiming that it is being done for the
protection of rights of Armenians while it was done only to restrict
mass robbery and fill their treasury. Of course mass robbery also
took place.

Editor of Turkish paper Alemtar Refi Cevat bey says that his conviction
is that the hatred of Turks toward Armenians was not political or
religious but just economic. "After 1915 I toured in Turkey and has
not found a home where there was no Armenian furniture, carpets,
property," the Turkish editor said. The same is today. The property
of 1.5 million Armenians was reaching fantastic numbers as these were
values created for centuries.

The criminal bands included 300,000 Turks and Kurds released
from jails. They were set free with a condition to rob Armenian
villages, kill Armenians but half of the property they were to send
to headquarters.

The foreigners too participated in the robbery of the Armenian
property, especially European insurance companies that were functioning
in the territory of Turkey.

Astoyan says that during her studies she found 63 foreign insurance
companies which have seized our property, among them the well-known New
York Life, French Union, 22 English companies. The Armenians did not
trust Turks and insured their lives and property in foreign agencies.

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