Türkiye Holds Ceremony for Diplomats Killed in Terrorist Attacks Abroad

By Bosphorus News Staff

Ceremony at the Foreign Ministry Martyrs' Cemetery

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry held a commemoration ceremony on 18 March at the Foreign Ministry Martyrs' Cemetery in Ankara's Cebeci Asri Cemetery, marking Martyrs' Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the 1915 Gallipoli naval victory.

The ceremony honored diplomats, public officials and their family members killed in terrorist attacks while serving abroad. Relatives of the fallen attended alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Zeki Levent Gümrükçü, senior Turkish officials and foreign mission representatives based in Türkiye. Wreaths were laid at the memorial on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

41 Killed, Many Unaccounted For

Gümrükçü stated that a total of 41 Turkish citizens, including diplomats, public officials and family members, were killed in attacks targeting Turkish representatives abroad, with many more injured. He also expressed regret that 18 of the attacks had never been solved and that those identified as perpetrators had not been brought to justice.

The killings began in 1973 in Los Angeles, where Consul General Mehmet Baydar and Consul Bahadır Demir were assassinated. In the years that followed, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) and the Greek militant group November 17 carried out further attacks on Turkish diplomatic personnel across multiple countries.

ASALA, founded in Beirut in 1975, conducted the largest number of these attacks across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia through the late 1970s and into the 1980s, targeting Turkish diplomats and their families in an effort to force international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. JCAG operated in parallel during the same period. November 17, a Greek far-left organisation, was responsible for later attacks, including the 1991 killing of press attaché Çetin Görgü in Athens.

Gümrükçü's Address

Speaking at the ceremony, Gümrükçü said: "These attacks did not only target Turkish diplomats but also aimed at undermining peace and shared human values."

He called on the international community to take a unified, non-selective approach to combating terrorism: "A determined and comprehensive fight against all forms of terrorism, regardless of its origin, ideology or target, is one of the most important guarantees of our common future."

On those responsible, he said: "Those who carried out these treacherous and vicious terrorist attacks could not reach the dirty aims they sought through terrorism in those days, and they will never be able to do so today or tomorrow."

Memorials Abroad

Gümrükçü noted that plaques and memorials have been erected at attack sites in Sydney, Ottawa, Lisbon, Vienna, Burgas and Belgrade, with work continuing at other locations. He said the Foreign Ministry is committed to ensuring the memory of its fallen personnel is preserved for future generations.

"As members of the Foreign Ministry, from the youngest to the most senior, we work every day to be worthy of the memory of our martyrs," he said.