The Turkish diplomats who died as a result of an attack by a member of the Armenian terrorist organization ASALA were commemorated in California, the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles said in a post on X, according to SİA.
“We solemnly honor the memory of Turkish diplomats Mehmet Baydar and Bahadır Demir, who were assassinated by terrorists in Santa Barbara on January 27, 1973. May they rest in peace,” reads the statement.
Commemoration ceremonies in memory of Turkish diplomats slain by Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1982 in and around the city of Los Angeles, California were held Wednesday.
Two separate commemoration ceremonies were held, the first in Santa Barbara – some 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Los Angeles – for Consul General Mehmet Baydar and Consul Bahadir Demir, who were killed on January 27, 1973 by an Armenian terrorist.
Anadolu Agency reports that Consul General Kemal Arikan was also separately commemorated at the site in Los Angeles where he was slain on January 28, 1982.
The ceremonies were attended by Türkiye's Consul General in Los Angeles Sinan Kuzum along with Azerbaijan's Consul General Vugar Gurbanov as well as members of the Turkish community.
Kuzum said Baydar and Demir were the first Foreign Ministry "martyrs" to fall victim to Armenian terrorism, adding that Armenian terrorists targeted many diplomats as well as their spouses and children.
The sorrow of these incidents is still "deeply" felt by Foreign Ministry personnel, he said.
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 Türkiye's Baydar and Demir were killed in an attack by a terrorist named Gourgen Yanikian.
In total, terrorist attacks by ASALA, the JCAG, and ARA left 77 people dead, including 58 members of the public along with diplomats and their families.
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