nationalization Archives

The foundation of St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church, which is located in Sur district of Turkey’s primarily Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır city, has filed a petition with the court that the decision to expropriate the church be declared null and void.

Ali Elbeyoğlu, an attorney of the foundation, noted that the respective lawsuit is filed against the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning of Turkey, according to Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

The attorney stressed that the nationalization of this church runs contrary to the Turkish law on conservation of cultural heritage as well as to international agreements, including the Treaty of Lausanne.

According to the Turkish Council of Ministers’ decision, all structures in Sur district, including St. Giragos Church, were expropriated for “protection.”

St. Giragos, which is one of the largest churches in the Middle East, reopened as a functioning church in October 2011.

It was renovated with co-funding by Diyarbakır Armenians throughout the world, and Diyarbakır City Hall.

Reports on plans for nationalizing the Electric Networks of Armenia have gained actuality over the recent period, with representatives of even the ruling Republican Party not dimsissing the idea.
Does nationalization imply handing over a venture to government ownership, and if so, is the practice applicable in the 21st century?
Mikael Melkumyan, an opposition lawmaker from the Prosperous Armenia party, says he doesn’t find that nationalization should entail sole ownership.
“What the international practice says is that the state can hand over the system to a concessionary manager, who must be a professional operator. So I don’t think the Electric Networks of Armenia will become a state-owned closed joint-stock company,” he told Tert.am.

Melkumyan said he is more inclined to think that the company’s new concessionary manager will be a private entity, with the state controlling only a part of its shares.
The lawmaker said he remembers that back in the 1990s, the Electric Networks of Armenia hired 25,000-30,000 people.
Commenting on the expediency of nationalization, the lawmaker cited the United Kingdom’s experience, which he said from time to time nationalizes different infrastructures, such as its railway system, the very electric networks, the gas supply system and mining industries.
He recommended against avoiding nationalization (either the term or the practice proper), considering the measure an important tool aimed to increase efficiency in management, attract investments and modernize the system.
According to Hrant Melik-Shahnzaryan, a political analyst, nationalization is quite a realistic scenario which never runs counter to the spirit of time
“It is an important scenario, both legally and technically, so we may need certain political decisions, solutions and probably agreements between Armenia and Russia,” he told our correspondent.

The expert said he thinks the philosophy behind any nationalization program to be the idea of declaring the given facility a supreme public interest.
“The state normally nationalizes those premises which are either of a supreme public interest or have a key strategic significance,” he added.

Turkey: Lawsuit filed against nationalization of Armenian church in Turkey’s Diyarbakır

Armenian power grid nationalization not realistic: political solutions proposed