On August 13, 2007, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID” or “the Centre”) registered a Request for Arbitration dated June 6, 2007, as supplemented by a letter dated August 3, 2007, submitted on behalf of Mr. Saba Fakes (“the Claimant”) against the Republic of Turkey (“the Respondent”). The Request for Arbitration was filed on the basis of the ICSID Convention and the Agreement on Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investments between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Turkey dated March 27, 1986 (“the Netherlands-Turkey Bilateral Investment Treaty” or “BIT”) which entered into force on November 1, 1989.