Turkish ambassador praises Serbia for preventing presence of FETO terrorist network

Photo: Nikola Tomic

Turkish Ambassador Ilhan Saygili has praised Serbia for preventing the presence of the FETO terrorist network in the country and stressed that the fight against terrorism requires joint international efforts.

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"The fight against terrorism is the joint responsibility of all countries," Saygili said during the commemoration in Belgrade on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the murder of Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia Ahmet Galip Balkar.

Balkar was killed in 1983 in an armed attack carried out by members of an Armenian militant group, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA).

Speaking at the ceremony, Saygili said Turkey suffered numerous attacks by terrorist organizations and noted that ASALA militants killed 31 Turkish diplomats and their family members in attacks abroad.

"We are grateful to Serbia for its support in the fight against terrorist organizations. Serbia is the country in the Balkans that did not allow the terrorist organization FETO to find refuge in its territory," he noted.

The commemoration was held at the monument in Belgrade's Tasmajdan Park dedicated to Balkar.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of diplomatic missions, as well as an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Dragan Petrovic, head of the department for Neighboring Countries and Southeast Europe.

Participants also paid tribute to Serbian student Zeljko Milivojevic, who died in the attack while trying to stop the gunmen, as well as a retired colonel and the ambassador's driver, who were seriously wounded.

Balkar was attacked while on his way to a meeting in Belgrade, when armed men opened fire on his car that had stopped at a traffic light. He died two days later.

Two ASALA militants, Krikor Levonian and Alexander Elbekyan, were later arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

(Telegraf.rs)