More Turk Bias Against Greeks, Armenians

[Yervant1]

Commentary

Aug 12 2012

 

 

More Turk Bias Against Greeks, Armenians

 

 

Michael Rubin

 

The White House continues to talk about Turkey not only as a regional

ally but also as a model for reform in the Middle East. It has been

several years, however, since Turkish reforms contributed to

democracy.

 

The latest case in point is Turkish real estate reform. The Turkish

government has announced new regulations. Here is the rub: While the

government has removed onerous rules and regulations that made

navigating Turkish real estate a nightmare, the government has in

effect legislated its traditional hatreds.

 

Armenians, for example, need not apply. They are by law unable to own

housing or businesses in Turkey. Greeks have it better. They are

merely banned from purchasing houses or stores in Istanbul and coastal

provinces. Such discrimination is rooted in Turkish historical animus.

During World War I, Ottoman forces killed perhaps one million

Armenians. Much of the world recognizes their death as a deliberate

genocide, albeit one Turkish officials dispute to this day. Less well

known was the ethnic cleansing of Greeks and Christians from Istanbul

and the Aegean provinces of Turkey although, to be fair, the transfer

of populations went both ways.

 

 

 

The Turkish government explains its discrimination in reciprocity.

That may be true when it comes to bans on North Koreans buying

property, although North Koreans don't exactly drive the beachfront

property market with their disposable income. Rather, it seems that

Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's animus toward his Christian neighbors plays

more of a role. According to Hürriyet Daily News:

 

Citizens of Greece are banned from acquiring property in 28 coastal

provinces, including Istanbul, as well as the province of Edirne,

which borders Greece. There is no such limitation in place for Turks

in the Greek region of western Thrace in Greece.

 

`Greek citizens were not allowed to purchase property in the coastal

band around Turkey according to the previous regulation. And if a

Greek inherited property in the coastal band, that person was asked to

liquidate it within one month, as they are not eligible to own any

property there,' Atilla Lök, an Istanbul-based lawyer with expertise

in property cases told the Hürriyet Daily News.

 

Welcome to the new Turkey, same as the old.

 

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/08/12/more-turk-bias-against-greeks-armenians/

[Nvard]

oh they forgot to mention that according to this law, citizens of Greece who are of turkish muslim ancestry ARE AN EXCEPTION

sooo democratic and liberal, bravo