UPDATE - Turkish diplomats murdered by Armenian terror groups remembered in Vienna

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO VIENNA, ADDS DETAILS

By Ahmet Gencturk and Askin Kiyagan

ANKARA / VIENNA (AA) - The Turkish diplomats killed by Armenian terrorists during 1970s and 1980s were remembered in the Austrian capital Vienna.

The Martyred Diplomats Exhibition, devoted to the memory of the Turkish diplomats, is organized in Vienna by Turkiye’s Communications Directorate.

A terror campaign against Turkish diplomats is continuation of the massacres initiated by the Armenian Dashnak gangs against the Ottoman Empire’s Muslim population in the early 20th century, Turkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said in a video message.

Turkiye has adopted a holistic approach to the 1915 events, instead of relying on assumptions and distorting the facts, he added.

Altun stressed that the country is keen to build a common future with its Armenian citizens despite certain circles' efforts to undermine it.

"We will continue to see the history as a source of richness in order to establish common relations, and to resist forces that would exploit and use it as a tool for hate speech," he added.

Attending the event, Ozan Ceyhun, Turkiye’s ambassador to Vienna, highlighted the importance of organizing such an exhibition in Vienna, where three Turkish diplomats were killed.

Ceyhun said his country is currently waging an all-out fight against terrorism and that there is no other country that is engaged in such an intense struggle.

In the exhibition, systematic terrorist attacks and assassinations targeting well-trained and equipped state officials representing Turkiye in the world are presented in details.

The exhibits include rare images telling the stories of the fallen diplomats along with high-resolution photos created using artificial intelligence.

The exhibition also focuses on Turkiye's efforts to reveal the truth and facts about the 1915 events.

- Armenian wave of terror against Turkish diplomats

According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency, a total of 77 people – 58 of them Turkish citizens, including 31 diplomats and members of their families – were killed in attacks from 1973 to 1986 carried out by ASALA and ARA terrorist groups.

The deadly campaign began in 1973 with the assassination of Turkiye's Consul General in Los Angeles Mehmet Baydar and diplomat Bahadir Demir by a terrorist named Gourgen Yanikian.

ASALA was the first Armenian terrorist group to wage war against Turkiye. It not only targeted Turkiye, but also other countries, and it became notorious for a 1975 bomb attack on the World Council of Churches' Beirut office.

The JCAG initially gained notoriety after claiming responsibility, with ASALA, for the Oct. 22, 1975 assassination of Danis Tunaligil, Turkiye's ambassador in Vienna.

The ARA is believed to be a continuation of the JCAG under a different name.

- 1915 events

Turkiye's position on the 1915 events remains that the death of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces.

Turkiye objects to presenting the 1915 events as “genocide,” describing them a tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians suffered casualties.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Turkiye and Armenia under the supervision of international experts to examine the issue.