NEW YORK

An exhibit in memory of Turkish diplomats slain by Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1984 has been opened in New York by Mevlut Cavusoglu, the nation’s foreign minister.

Expressing thanks to Turkey’s Communications Directorate and its head Fahrettin Altun for organizing the traveling exhibit in Washington, Los Angeles, and New York, Cavusoglu on Thursday said a total of 58 Turkish citizens, including 31 diplomats, were slain by Armenian terror groups such as ASALA and JCAG in the 11-year period.

The exhibit makes “an important contribution in raising awareness among the American public about the facts, especially at a time when the 1915 events were distorted for populist political purposes," Cavusoglu added, referring to a recent much-criticized statement by US President Joe Biden.

Cavusoglu also decried the release this March of Armenian national Harry (Hampig) Sassounian, who was convicted of fatally shooting Turkey's Los Angeles consul general nearly four decades ago while he sat in his car at an intersection.

"While human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against terrorism are mentioned, a terrorist named Sassounian was released before his sentence was up," he added.

Noting that Turkey is fighting the terror groups PKK, YPG/PKK, Daesh/ISIS and the Fetullah Terrorist Group (FETO) with all of its resources, Cavusoglu said it will continue these efforts in the near future with no letup.

The landmark exhibit tells the life stories of the slain diplomats along with the countries they were stationed in when their lives were violently cut short.

It also details the systematic terrorist attacks and assassinations targeting seasoned diplomats and government officials representing Turkey peacefully across the world.

The exhibit also spotlights Turkey's work to shed light on the 1915 events and reveal the facts, despite the deliberate distortions by the Armenian lobby and some misguided or misled countries.

Martyred by terrorists

From 1973 to 1986, the terror groups ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), JCAG (Armenian Justice Commandos), and ARA (Armenian Revolutionary Army) carried out attacks targeting Turkish diplomats and their families.

The murderous campaign started in 1973, when Turkey's Consul General in Los Angeles Mehmet Baydar and diplomat Bahadir Demir were martyred in an attack by a terrorist named Gourgen Yanikian.

On Oct. 22, 1975, Turkey's Ambassador to Vienna Danis Tunaligil was martyred.

In total, terrorist attacks by ASALA, JCAG, and ARA left 77 people dead, including 58 members of the public along with diplomats and their families.

Turkey's Press Attache in Athens Cetin Gorgu and then Embassy Counsellor Omer Haluk Sipahioglu were martyred in terrorist attacks in 1991 and 1994, respectively.

In 1993, Caglar Yucel, an administrative attache at the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, was martyred.

In 2004, security attaches Nihat Akbas, Bilal Urgen, Adem Cicek, Bulent Kiransal, and Suleyman Karahasanoglu were all martyred.

Sinan Yilmaz, a police officer at the Turkish Embassy in Somalia, was martyred in 2013.

In 2019, Osman Kose, a staffer at the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil, northern Iraq, was martyred by a terrorist attack while on duty.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara