Neglecting Armenian Monuments, Turkey Violates Lausanne Treaty

Neglecting Armenian Monuments,
Turkey Violates Lausanne Treaty

Princeton, N. J. (17 August 2000)—Thousands of Armenian cultural monuments are subject to a policy of willful neglect on the part of Turkey. This policy violates Turkey’s commitments under the 1923 Lausanne treaty, argues Anahid M. Ugurlayan in the current issue of the journal Armenian Forum.

Ugurlayan’s article is accompanied by rare and moving recent photographs of Armenian monuments. Among the photographs are images of the dynamited dome of the Chapel of Saint Thaddeus, Arakelotz Vank (fifth century) overlooking the plain of Moush. The photographs are taken from the Gomidas Institute photo archives.

Varaga monastery (30612 bytes)
Varaga monastery, near Van, "left to decay naturally." In Armenian Forum, vol. 2, no. 2, Anahid M. Ugurlayan explores practical ways to protect Armenian monuments in Turkey. (Photograph © 2000 The Gomidas Institute.)

Turkey has signed various treaties that provide for the protection of monuments. These treaties include the 1954 Hague treaty and the UNESCO treaties of 1970 and 1972. It actively uses these treaties to sue for possession of cultural artifacts that originate within its territory.

Using the UNESCO treaties, Turkey gets financial support from the international community to maintain selected monuments of universal significance. It discriminates, however, against important monuments of Armenian origin—such as the historical Armenian capital, Ani—in its efforts.

Unfortunately, these treaties do not provide enforcement mechanisms.

Ugurlayan points out, however, that Turkey is also bound by the Treaty of Lausanne, which does have enforcement mechanisms. Under the treaty, "the Turkish government undertakes to grant full protection to the churches" of Turkish nationals belonging to non-Moslem minorities.

Enforcement of the treaty, according to Ugurlayan, is only one of the ways of securing protection for the monuments. In her Armenian Forum article, Ugurlayan explores other practical alternatives.

"In an earlier article in Armenian Forum, Professor Dickran Kouymjian explored aspects of this issue," said Vincent Lima, editor of the journal. "Now Anahid Ugurlayan, an attorney, takes the discussion forward."

The article, "The Protection of Cultural Property under International Law: The Case of Armenian Cultural Monuments in Turkey," appears in Armenian Forum, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 71–84.

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