in Russian – http://crossroadorg.info/wa-press-22-4-2024/
in Armenian – http://crossroadorg.info/hy/wa-press-22-4-2024-hy/
in French – https://crossroadorg.info/en/wa-press-22-4-2024-fr/
in German – https://crossroadorg.info/en/wa-press-22-4-2024-de/
in Arabic – http://crossroadorg.info/en/wa-press-22-4-2024-sy/
PRESS RELEASE
The Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia) has begun the process of compensation for material losses suffered by the Armenian people, within the framework of which it has already appealed to the relevant international authorities, including the Secretary–General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, as well as to the Heads of States – Permanent Members of the UN Security Council:
To US President Joe Biden;
To Russian President Vladimir Putin;
To Chinese President Xi Jinping;
To French President Emmanuel Macron;
To British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Today it is time to start a new process in the field of protecting the rights granted to the Armenian people and the State of Armenia by the international community, which is being implemented today.
In the Statement “On compensation for material losses suffered by the Armenian people during the First World War” dated September 25, 2022, the Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia) calls upon to examine and implement the compensation process for the material losses suffered by the Armenian people during the First World War, taking into account reparation obligations of the Republic of Turkey to the Armenian people, as the successor of the Ottoman Empire, which is estimated 19,130,982,000 French francs in 1919 prices, according to the report and calculations of the Special Committee acting as the part of the Special Commission on Reparations of the Paris Peace Conference, presented on April 14, 1919.
According to the report, the material losses of Armenians were as follows:
- A) Western Armenia (or, as stated in the document, Turkish Armenia):
- a) personal material losses of the rural population 4,601,610,000
- b) personal material losses of the urban population 3,235,550,000
- c) collective material losses 6,761,350,000
Total: 14,598,510,000 francs
- B) The Republic of Armenia and other Armenian-populated territories of the Caucasus:
- a) population losses of those settlements, whose population has been completely expelled 1,831,872,000
- b) population losses of those settlements, whose population has not been expelled 1,293,600,000
- c) other material losses 1,407,000,000
Total: 4,532,472,000 francs
Total material losses amounted 19,130,982,000 FFR
Thus, the obligation for reparations of the Republic of Turkey as the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire in relation to the Armenian people is 19,130,982,000 francs, according to the report and calculations of the Special Committee acting as the part of the Special Commission on Reparations of the Paris Peace Conference, presented on April 14, 1919.
This Statement to the UN in no way concerns the issue of a claim for compensation for damage caused to the Armenian people and Armenia as a result of the Armenian Genocide, and not only material:
- In the issue of full compensation, it is necessary to take into account the crimes committed by successive Turkish governments against the Armenian people in 1894-1896, 1909, 1915-1918, 1919-1923 and continuing until today presented in the chapter IV of this Statement to the UN, as well as the crimes committed by successive governments of Azerbaijan against the Armenian people in 1905-1906, 1918-1920, 1921-1987, 1988-2022 and continuing until today presented in the chapter V of the Statement to the UN.
2) The damage caused to the Armenian people and Armenia as a result of the crimes of the successive governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan, presented in the above-mentioned chapters, and not only the material losses of the urban and rural population, but also the losses of the Armenian people not mentioned in this statement: human losses as a result of the Genocide, forced deportation and Islamization, including children and women, the loss of their homeland – Patriocide, loss of the area of the Armenian people, economic losses, loss of bank deposits and jewelry, insurance premiums, intangible assets, intellectual property, objects of historical, cultural, archaeological, architectural and church heritage, learning and educational institutions, world and national cultural values and other losses of the Armenian people.
3) A discount is currently being made on certain and approved damages indicated in the report of the Special Committee acting as the part of the Special Commission on Reparations of the Paris Peace Conference.
4) It is necessary to carry out a qualimetric re-assessment of the calculation in accordance with the current procedure and standards, since according to the calculations and definition of the professional community expert-appraisers, the discount is currently 15 times.
5) Consequently, the obligations on reparations of the Republic of Turkey as the successor of the Ottoman Empire in relation to the Armenian people amounts to 19.130.982,000 French francs in 1919 prices, according to the report and calculations of the Special Committee acting as the part of the Special Commission on Reparations of the Paris Peace Conference, submitted on April 14, 1919, today amounts to 286,964,730,000 euros (or 312,791,555,700 US dollars).
6) At the initiative of the Special Commission of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Western Armenia on restitution and reparations issues in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, the International Independent Expert and Legal Center for reparations and restitutions (full name is “the International Independent Expert and Legal Center for Accounting, Analysis, Inventory, Audit, Qualimetric Assessment and Forensic examination of Material and Intangible Losses as a result of the Armenian Genocide for reparations and restitutions”) carries out a qualimetric assessment of the full replacement value of tangible and intangible property and lost benefits of the Armenian people in the territory of the Ottoman Empire, including separately – Western Armenia, Cilicia, Nakhichevan, Artsakh and the Western Caspian region for reparations, restitutions and indemnity after 1919. for the last more than 100 years in peacetime, from military operations, terrorism, blockade, reservation of the Armenian people.
7) Currently, the losses indicated in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Chapter XIII of the Statement to the UN are being qualimetrically assessed and a statement with the appropriate report and expert opinion of the professional international community for comprehensive reparation and restitution will be submitted to the relevant international structures in the near future.
In the Statement addressed to the UN it was indicated that it was necessary to take into account:
– The First Republic of Armenia, and subsequently the Union Armenian USR under conditions of aggression and coercion (the Alexandropol Treaty of 02.12.1920 and the Kars Treaty of 13.10.1921) were forced to renounce the rights granted to the Armenian people and Armenian State in 1920 on the basis of unified Armenian claims, being forced to remain only within the framework of rights and jurisdiction of the Republics of Armenia, in other words – Eastern Armenia.
– The Third Republic of Armenia, through official statements of the leaders of the state repeated that it remains outside the framework of the rights granted to the Armenian people and the Armenian State (the State of Armenia) in 1918-1920, provided on the basis of unified Armenian claims, and is forced to remain only within the framework of the rights and powers of the Republic of Armenia, in other words Eastern Armenia and defending this issue is transferred directly to the Armenian people – to the broad circles of the Armenian public.
– The present authorities of the Republic of Western Armenia by the statements of the officials fully refused from all rights given to the Armenian people and the State of Armenia by the international community in 1918-1920.
However, all this does not mean that Armenians scattered around the world as a result of the Genocide of Armenians can accept such realities imposed on the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
In the current situation, the entire Armenian people are already a political subject, competent to resolve all issues related to the prevention of real threats and challenges against the entire Armenian people.
Armenians scattered around the world, the number of whom is much larger than their compatriots living in the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, chose the way of protection of the common rights granted to the Armenian people and the State of Armenia in 1918-1920 by the international community aimed at the final and fair solution of the Armenian question.
In the Statement to the UN it is indicated that taking into account the comprehensive rights of the Armenian people in the world, according to which:
«… 1) Armenians of Western Armenia like any nation in the world have the right to live, develop and have their future which means that they have the right to demand the establishment of their own State on their ancestral homeland – in the Armenian Highland, in Armenia;
2) Armenians of Western Armenia and the State structures of the Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia), acting as the continuity State of the State of Armenia recognized de facto and de jure in 1920. declare that they undertake to protect the rights granted to the Armenian people by the Sevres peace Treaty and the Arbitration Award of the 28th President of the United States of America Woodrow Wilson, and to implement these rights, including the demarcation of the border between the State of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
We appeal to you with a request to study and implement the process of compensating for the material losses suffered by the Armenian people during the First World War,
Taking into account the reparation obligations of the Republic of Turkey as the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire in relation to the Armenian people,
which amounts to 19.130.982.000 francs, according to the report and calculations of the Special Committee acting as the part of the Special Commission for Reparations of the Paris Peace Conference, presented on April 14, 1919.
We ask you to initiate a qualimetric reassessment of the calculation in accordance with the current procedure and standards, since according to calculations and determinations by expert-appraisers of the professional international community, the discount is currently 15 times.
Consequently, the reparations obligations of the Republic of Turkey, as the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire, towards the Armenian people, currently amounts to 286,964,730,000 euros (or 312,791,555,700 US dollars).
To carry out reparations to the affected parties: the Armenians of Western Armenia (Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia) and the Armenians of Eastern Armenia (the Republic of Armenia), sending them to the appropriate national-state structures.
While preparing this Statement to the UN archival materials of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-1920, decisions of states and international structures on this issue were used, expert opinions of experts-appraisers of the professional international community, research and publications of historians, lawyers, economists, culturologists, genocide scholars and diplomats, including the work of Armenian scientists: John Kirakosyan, Ruben Sahakyan, Mkrtich Nersisyan, Yuri Barseghov, Martik Gasparyan, Alexander Manasyan, Ara Papyan, Levon Beklaryan and others, as well as materials from the Collection of historical and legal documents “Political and legal foundations for solving the Armenian Issue (A single political and legal package of documents on the protection of the rights of Western Armenia and Armenians of Western Armenia)” were taken into account.
The full text of the Statement of the Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia) to the United Nations “On compensation for material losses suffered by the Armenian people during the First World War” is attached.
Press Service of the Government of the Republic of Western Armenia (the State of Armenia)
April 22, 2024