The former U.S. Embassy building in Ankara has been purchased by a Turkish businessman after 67 years.

Axar.az reports that this was reported by Turkiye's "Haber7" newspaper.

The publication states that businessman Shemsettin Hancı from Trabzon purchased the 23,000-square-meter property, which had been for sale for two years, and transferred it to Turkish soil status.

Although it is claimed that Hancı paid 20 million dollars for the property, he stated that he purchased it for a higher amount.

In response to a journalist’s question, “Can we say that you bought it for a nine-figure amount?” he replied:

“We signed an agreement to maintain confidentiality. Therefore, we cannot say how much we paid. But it was purchased for a significant amount.”

“It used to be U.S. territory. After a 7-month process, it became ours. It’s in a very beautiful location. It’s probably a once-in-a-century kind of place. It’s right in the center of Ankara; this could be a beautiful hotel,” Hancı concluded.

It should be noted that the U.S. Embassy in Ankara has relocated to a different building.