Turkey commemorates victims of 1993 German arson attack

By Meryem Goktas

ANKARA

Turkey on Monday remembered the victims of a 1993 racist arson attack in Germany that left five members of a Turkish family dead.

On May 29, 1993, four people aged 16 to 23 set ablaze the house of a Turkish family in the German city of Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, killing five people and injuring 14 others.

Three of the assailants were sentenced to 10 years in jail, while the other got 15 years.

"We commemorate with respect our five citizens who lost their lives as a result of the arson attack carried out by a group of racists in Solingen, Germany on 29 May 1993, on the 25th anniversary of this tragic attack. We wish God’s mercy upon them," said a Foreign Ministry statement.

"We hope that these kinds of tragedies will not happen again," it added.

The statement said that Turkey "observes with concern" the rising racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia in Europe.

"On this occasion, we would like to emphasize once again that effective measures against racism, discrimination, and Islamophobia, which are the common problems of humanity, should be taken," urging politicians and media to use "prudent" language, said the statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend a ceremony Tuesday marking the 25th anniversary of the attack in Solingen, the statement said.

The ceremony -- where Cavusoglu is expected to speak -- will be held at the German President’s Office in the northern city of Dusseldorf.

Cavusoglu is also expected to meet his German counterpart Heiko Maas, and Armin Laschet, of North Rhine-Westphalia.