A lawsuit in Turkey filed by the Armenian Church to recover its ancient headquarters, seized a century ago during the Armenian genocide, is the “first legal step” of a goal to reclaim all Armenian property seized by the Turks, Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia told The New York Times, Radio Liberty's Armenian Service reports. 

“This is the headquarters of the church,” he said. “This is the first legal step. That will be followed by our claim to return all the churches, the monasteries, the church-related properties and, finally, the individual properties. We should move step by step,” Catholicos Aram I said.

According to him, if the Turkish Constitutional Court rejects the lawsuit, it would “deepen the divide” between Turkey and the 10-million-member Armenian diaspora.

In his interview, Aram I also touched on American policy in the question of the Armenian Genocide. Specifically referring to the stance of the White House on the matter, he said: “I am sure President Obama, in his heart, knows that this was genocide.”

In the interview Aram I also gives quite a detailed description of the history of the Catholicosate in Sis, noting that he had decided to proceed with a lawsuit after having consulted with 30 legal experts.

“The ownership is clear,” he said. “They are Armenian. Nobody can question the ownership or identity or history of those properties.”