LOS ANGELES: Turkey’s Directorate of Communications opened an exhibition in Los Angeles on April 24 in memory of Turkish diplomats killed by Armenian terrorists.
The exhibition dedicated to killed Turkish diplomats attracted widespread attention. Turkey’s Consul General in Los Angeles Oğuz Can and Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Agayev, as well as the representatives of Pakistan and Syria and a large number of citizens attended the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Can thanked everyone who contributed to the preparation of the exhibition and stated that the Armenian terror wave that started in Los Angeles in 1973 continued in the following years and targeted more than 30 diplomats and their relatives.
“We never forget them, but we remember them again on days like this,” Can said and added that those who spoke about the pain of the Armenian side only should especially listen to the stories of the killed Turkish diplomats.
Can said: “We did not rise in anger and hatred due to the massacre of our citizens in difficult times such as World War I, but we did not forget them either.”
Emphasizing that they absolutely do not support the pain experienced in history being used as a political tool by third countries, Can said that such decisions will cause problems today and in the future.
Agayev in his speech expressed that Turkey and Azerbaijan always stand shoulder to shoulder throughout history, and they stood together against the Armenian terrorist organizations against the atrocities.
In a statement for the “Martyr Diplomats Exhibition” released by the Directorate of Communications on Thursday, it was stated that the attacks in the 1970s and 1980s carried out by Armenian terrorist groups – the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) – killed 58 Turkish citizens, including 31 diplomats. A total of 77 people were killed in these attacks and many were injured.
The statement added that the exhibition is dedicated to Turkish diplomats who continued their duties despite the threats and attacks by Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1984 and lost their lives for this purpose.
Los Angeles was the place where Consul General Mehmet Baydar and Consul Bahadır Demir were killed by an Armenian terrorist on Jan. 27, 1973. Baydar and Demir were the first Turkish diplomats to be killed by Armenian terrorists.
In another terrorist attack on Jan. 28, 1982, Kemal Arıkan, Turkey’s consul general in Los Angeles, was killed by Armenian terrorists affiliated with the JCAG terrorist group. – Agencies
