SUCCESSORS OF WESTERN ARMENIANS MAY RECEIVE INSURANCE PAYMENTS

The Armenian lobby of America fights for the right of the generations of genocide victims for receiving insurances by polices sold by western companies.

The "New York Life" American insurance company under the pressure of the Armenian lobbyist organizations agreed to publicize the lists of Armenians insured in the Ottoman Turkey on the eve of the First World War. The majority of insured Armenians became victims of the genocide organized by the Government of the Young Turks. In spite of the terms of the contract, the promised sum to them and their successors were not been even paid. The Association of the Armenian lawyers in USA undertook the process of receiving insurances defined by law.

October 30, 2003

PanARMENIAN.Net - The most active American insurance companies functioning before First World War in Turkey were "New York Life" and "Equitable Life Insurance Society of U.S." later renamed to "Axa Financial". Exactly to the latter were addressed the pretensions of the Associations of Armenian advocates. However, the pretensions were addressed not only to the private companies but also to the state of their residence. The insurance companies, which did not pay the insurance payments to the Armenians, had their incomes increased. The companies were regularly paying taxes from the incomes gained. Those payments made America richer. So, it turns out that the United States were investing in the development of their economy money that belonged to the victims of Genocide.

It will not be difficult to prove the responsibility of the insurance companies before the successors of the holders of policies. But the fact is that the government of the country which is the legal inheritor of the Ottoman Empire has to bear the responsibility. The matter concerns the Turkish Republic which has received the private property of the genocide victims. Lot of people in Turkey understand this. Chairman of the Assembly of the Turkish-American organizations Erjument Kilij recently informed his compatriots that "Turkey may confront with gigantic banks and insurance companies that have a strong lobby".

The Armenian centers have established a close collaboration with the American legislators who successfully lobby in the congress issues connected with the payment of insurances to the inheritors of the Turkish Armenians. Not so long ago congressmen Adam Schiff and George Radanovich submitted for the consideration of the House of Representatives the draft law supposing a support in getting the insurance payments to victims of the genocide. If the document titled "Act of fair insurance of Armenian victims" is adopted, the insurance companies will be obliged to open all the archives concerning the period between 1875 and 1923. It will allow revealing the names of all the Armenians that were holding policies in that period. The "New York Life" company published documents from its archives without waiting for the decision of the congress. According to those documents, 2300 Armenians were holding the policies of the company. The exact sum is unknown, but today they count billions of dollars.

However, the expert of the Association of the Armenian advocates has serious doubts that the publicized data are not complete. The fact that the lobbyists are insisting, allows thinking that soon all the companies that have gained money will be obliged to pay the successors of the Armenians. The owners and managers of the companies may count on the support of the Armenian lobby as far as their fair demands to the Turkish government are concerned.