The Question of the Return of Weaving Machines from Turkey to Romania after World War I
Nurten ÇetinRomania, which has rich underground and surface resources, entered World War I on August 27, 1916, when it joined the Triple Entente States. It was defeated a short time later. The Alliance States took possession of some of the Romanian products and materials needed for their economy by seizing or purchasing them. During this period, some machines were bought by the Ottoman government, from places like the Altın Yıldız Company and Defterdar Mensucat Factory. When the war ended, Romania demanded the return of the machines. However, how to perform the action of returning them posed a problem for the Ottoman government. A Mixed Commission was established to deal with the issue, which brought to the foreground various economic, legal, and political issues. The problem was resolved on November 3, 1921 in a way that pleased the parties and did not disturb the relations between the two countries. Yet, even after returning the machines, some problems remained. This article examines Ottoman archive documents to shed light on the developments in the process of returning the machinery and equipment confiscated by the Ottoman government during the invasion of Romania in World War I.
I. Dünya Savaşı’nda Romanya’dan Türkiye’ye Getirilen Dokuma Makinelerinin İadesi Sorunu
Nurten ÇetinZengin yeraltı ve yerüstü kaynaklarına sahip olan Romanya, I. Dünya Harbi’ne 27 Ağustos 1916’da Üçlü İtilaf Devletleri tarafında katıldı. Kısa sürede yenildi. İttifak Devletleri, Romanya’da kendi ekonomileri için gerekli olan bazı ürün ve malzemeleri el koyma veya satın alma suretiyle sahiplendiler. Bu dönemde bazı makineler Osmanlı Hükûmeti aracılığıyla, Altın Yıldız Mensucat Osmanlı Anonim Şirketi tarafından satın alındı. Savaş sona erdiğinde Romanya, bu makinelerin iadesini talep etti. Makinelerin iadelerinin ne suretle olacağı Osmanlı Hükûmeti’ni yeni bir sorunla karşı karşıya getirdi. Bu meseleyle meşgul olmak üzere bir karma komisyon kuruldu. Bu süreçte meselenin ekonomik, hukuki ve siyasi boyutu gündeme geldi. Sorun tarafları memnun edecek ve iki ülke ilişkilerini bozmayacak şekilde 3 Kasım 1921 tarihinde karara bağlandı. Makinelerin iadesi yapılmakla beraber, bazı sorunlar devam etmiştir. Bu makalede, İttifak Devletleri’nin I. Dünya Savaşı’nda Romanya’yı işgal ettikleri dönemde, Osmanlı Hükûmeti tarafından bu ülkede el konulan makine ve teçhizatın iadesi sürecindeki gelişmeler Osmanlı arşiv belgeleri ışığında incelenmiştir.
In World War I, Romania fought on the side of the Entente States and faced defeat. The Alliance States seized products and goods owned by Romania, either through the Warrant or by purchasing them. Later, at the end of the war when Romania was considered one of the victorious countries, it demanded the return of the properties that the Central Powers had taken. Among the requested products and materials were machines from the Altın Yıldız Company. The company had paid for the proprietary machines and had a receipt as proof. The Ottoman government, not wanting to have a political problem with Romania, asked the Altın Yıldız Company to return the machines from the Oltanya Factory. However, the company argued that this was unlawful and that the government could not be the decision maker. Returning the machines, it said, would make the company suffer great losses. Further, the machines from the Oltanya Factory had not been confiscated as part of a war treaty but had been taken with the consent of the owners, who were paid for them.
The Ottoman government deemed it appropriate to give threshing machines that had been ordered from Germany for the Defterdar Textiles Factory in Istanbul and were in crates in the factory, to the Altın Yıldız Company. Thus, the company would also be prevented from suffering losses. In other words, a kind of exchange process would take place. At first, the Altın Yıldız Company objected, but it later accepted the exchange on some terms. But there arose a foreign exchange difference between the prices of the machines at the time of purchase and their erstwhile current prices. In addition, some machines were damaged and no refund was possible. Their cost would be determined and deducted from the total amount paid for the machines. The Defterdar Mensucat Factory machines that the government planned to give to the Altın Yıldız Company should have corresponded to the price of the machines that the company would return to Romania. It was not known the exact packaging and transportation costs paid by company officials during the delivery of the Oltanya Factory machines from Romania.
To discuss the return of the machines, a Mixed Commission was established which included the Ottoman government, Altın Yıldız Company, and Romania’s representative in Istanbul. The commission, which met three times a week, regularly conveyed information about the talks to the government. The Legal Advisory was also asked about the issue and found it was in favor of the Altın Yıldız Company. In the Sevres Peace Treaty signed after the war, there was no provision regarding the return of property belonging to private individuals. However, as mentioned above, the Ottoman government, seeking to avoid tension with Romania during this period, accepted the return of the machines of the Oltanya Factory. The government sought solutions to the problem in order to avoid making the Altın Yıldız Company suffer. The problem, which had started in 1918 with Romania’s request to return the machines, resulted in the signing of a contract on November 3, 1921, stating the conditions under which the machines would be returned.
According to the Ottoman Bank’s schedule, the Oltanya Weaving Factory agreed to take back the machines by paying the exchange difference between the two dates. In addition, the machine owners and the Istanbul Representation of Romania issued a statement that they would not claim damages against the Ottoman government, the Altın Yıldız Company, or any person. The machines to were returned after that.
Although the Altın Yıldız Company agreed to take the German threshing machines and return the Oltanya machines to the government, it did not return all the machines it had bought from Oltanya until all parts of the German threshing machines were delivered. Problems stemming from this issue continued until 1922.
