CHP seeks scrapping of law on sales to foreigners

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

CHP lawmaker Ali Rıza Öztürk says the law is against Turkey’s interests.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul and suspend a recent bill regarding the sale of property and land to foreign nationals, arguing that some provisions in the bill are unconstitutional.

“This bill has led to a dangerous process for public interest and the country’s indivisible integrity and security. Most of the limitations, including the reciprocity principle, have been removed and our country’s lands are being commercialized,” CHP deputy Ali Rıza Öztürk said after submitting appeal.
The bill that eased restrictions on the sale of land and real estate to foreign citizens and firms was adopted on May 3, despite harsh objections from opposition parties.

The bill removes the condition of reciprocity and increases the total amount of real property that a foreigner can own from 25,000 square meters to 300,000 square meters across the whole country. The amount of property owned by foreigners in a given district cannot exceed 10 percent of the privately owned real estate there.

The CHP’s Öztürk said the sale of property and land to foreigners was a very crucial issue considering Turkey’s strategic location.

“The centrality on this issue cannot be ignored, while imperialism has changed its name but never given up its aims to control all energy and water resources as well as agricultural areas. The new regulations regarding the excessive sale of land to foreigners are unacceptable and don’t consider projects that threaten our country’s secular and unitary structure and its territorial integrity,” Öztürk said.

Öztürk stressed that they were not against “measurable” property and land sale to foreigners, but argued that the given bill breached Turkey’s national interests.

“Allowing foreigners to own property is a natural consequence of momentum in international political, economic and social relations. We don’t have any hesitation on this. But this bill is against Turkey’s national interests. The country’s lands should not be abalienated for the sake of short-term commercial interests,” Öztürk said.