Turkey commemorates martyred diplomat Galip Balkar

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday commemorated a senior Turkish diplomat who was martyred by an Armenian terror group in the early 1980s.

"We remember with respect our martyr Galip Balkar, Ambassador of Turkey in Belgrade, who lost his life following a heinous attack perpetrated by the terrorist organization JCAG [Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide] on 9 March 1983," the ministry said on Twitter.

Two members of the terror group attacked Balkar with automatic weapons near the Turkish Embassy 38 years ago.

The ambassador was seriously injured in the attack and died two days later.

A Yugoslav student, who was hit by a bullet during the attack, also died.

Kirkor Levonyan and Raffi Aleksandr were arrested on March 9, 1984, and each was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Armenian terror groups killed 31 Turkish diplomats and family members across the globe between 1973 and 1986, including Balkar.

The vast majority of the attacks were conducted by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and the JCAG.