T24-ANKARA
The US Embassy in Ankara is starting to move into its new building, the construction of which has caused great controversy, today. The move will continue until the end of the week. The US mission will start at its new campus in Söğütözü starting next week.
After the suicide attack against the US Embassy in Ankara in the Kavaklıdere region of the capital in 2013, the US administration requested land in order to move the embassy campus to a safer area.
After meeting the demand, the USA started the construction of an embassy on the purchased land in Söğütözü, one of the main centers of Ankara. Started in 2017 on the land purchased in 2014, construction was scheduled for completion in 2019, but was barely completed earlier this year.
All kinds of technical equipment, security systems, bulletproof glasses, and office furniture used in the building were brought from the USA. The embassy building cost about 580 million dollars.
According to the information T24 received, the process of moving from the old building to the new campus started today. With the completion of the relocation, which will continue until the end of the week, it will begin to serve in Söğütözü Campus from the beginning of next week.
All units gathered together in the new campus. Visa procedures, which continue in the old building, will continue in the new campus.
Controversial land sale
As it will be remembered, the sale of 37 thousand square meters of land where the new US embassy campus was built caused controversy at the time of the sale.
The parcel, which includes the land sold to the USA, was adopted by the Privy Council in May 1983, which governed the country after September 12, 1980.Law on the sale of 186,441 square meters of Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) landseparated by ‘.
The same land was then allocated to the Ministry of National Defense, Gazi University and the General Directorate of Highways. Gazi University; In 2014, it transferred its share to TOKİ. TOKİ sold the land in question for 88 million dollars.
Regarding the sale of the land, the Ankara Branch of the Chamber of Architects affiliated to TMMOB did not approve the architectural projects of the US embassy building, which was built in the Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) areas contrary to Atatürk’s conditional donation and will. In addition, the chamber did not issue an authorship document to the project authors.
Branch President who made a statement about the process at that time Tezcan Karakus Candan“It is not possible for us to approve the architectural project of the US Embassy or to give the architect a certificate of authorship. The US embassy building, which was built in violation of Atatürk’s conditional donation and will, is unlawful. We do not approve of its project or its construction. The US embassy building built through the hall is null and void for us.” he said.
Ankara 4th Administrative Court, in the lawsuit filed after the application made by the Chamber of City Planners in 2019, for the AOÇ land, “stop execution“He had made the decision. In the reasoning of the decision,Trade and residence are not allowed on AOÇ lands. No action can be taken against Atatürk’s conditional donation.‘ was said. The court’s decision also covered the land that TOKİ sold for the new US embassy campus.
However, despite this decision, the construction of the embassy continued.