Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commenting on the recent decision of the Turkish government to return confiscated property to the ethnic minorities.

“This decision is undoubtedly an effort to get ahead of the recent developments in the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the U.S. Congress’s inquiries into and proceedings on Turkey’s oppression of its Christian minorities,” reads the letter posted by The Armenian Weekly newspaper.

In his letter Catholicos calls the decision “incomplete and unjust” stressing that it is “biased and selective, and furthermore, it certainly denies history and rejects democratic principles and values”.

The Holy See of Cilicia remains the lawful proprietor of numerous churches, hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, cemeteries, and other properties that belong to the nation and the church, and which were seized by the Turkish state in the days of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The Armenian people continue to be the lawful owners of the houses, businesses, and estates—passed down from their ancestors—that became a victim to the genocide that was planned and executed by the Ottoman Turkish government.

Your government’s resolution may satisfy the requirements of the European Union. However, it may never be considered a decision based on principles of justice.

Mr. Prime Minister, your declaration that your government upholds justice and human rights will be validated only when you recognize the Armenian Genocide,” the letter reads.