Turkish-Canadians gather to remember Colonel Atilla Altikat’s assassination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON, August 26, 2010
Turkish-Canadians gather to remember Colonel Atilla Altikat’s assassination
Ottawa, ON, August 26, 2010 – Canadians of Turkish origin gather once again to remember Colonel Atilla Altikat, on Sunday, August 29, 2010, at the intersection of Ottawa River Parkway and Island Park Drive where he was gunned down by Armenian terrorists and became the first victim of international terrorism on Canadian soil. Distinguished Canadians, including MP Royal Galipeau are expected to join his Excellency Rafet Akgunay, Ambassador of Republic of Turkey, at this sad gathering to condemn acts of hatred and to remember victims of terrorism.
On the morning of August 27, 1982, while driving to work in Ottawa, Col. Altikat, the military attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, was shot 10 times at point blank range. Armenian terrorist organizations claimed responsibility for the attack. In spite of some leads by journalists and others, no arrests have been made and the murderers remain at large.
“It was a traumatic event for us when a friend of ours, representing our country of origin, was killed in Ottawa” said Kevser Taymaz, president of the CTC. “He was an honorable officer doing his job, a beloved husband and a father. It was through Colonel Altikat’s assassination that our community, and Canadians in general, learned what terrorism was: killing of innocent people for political purposes.”
Between 1973 and 1986, Armenian terrorist attacks killed 70 people, 31 of them Turkish diplomats, and wounded 524 innocent people. They resorted to violence to impress their version of history upon the world public opinion, including Canada.
We are confident that these fanatics do not represent the whole of the Armenian community, especially at a time when Turkey and Armenia are finding constructive ways to deal with the debate that surrounds a tragic period of their long and mostly peaceful history.
As Canadians of Turkish origin, we hope that our Canadian Government will help facilitate Turkish-Armenian normalization processes. We take great pride in Canada’s traditional roles as peace maker/keeper and mediator. We hope that this experience can be applied to the relations between Turks and Armenians at home in Canada as well as between Turkey and Armenia. The protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia are a good first step and need to be supported.
At the same time, the Turkish community of Canada would like to stress its disappointment at the lack of progress in finding the killers of Colonel Altikat. We appeal to our officials, and especially to the RCMP, to redouble their efforts to shed light on this political homicide.
In the fight against terrorism, we need to remember its victims and employ all means to bring the perpetrators to justice. While we continue to remember Colonel Altikat every year, we do not have feelings of vengeance or enmity during these solemn ceremonies. However, we call on the relevant agencies and our political representatives to stand firmly against extremism and hate propaganda and to finally bring closure to this case through definitive criminal procedures.
About the Council of Turkish Canadians
The CTC is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to advocate and promote on behalf of Canadians of Turkish origin.
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Contact:
Council of Turkish Canadians
Tel: 613-422-3622
