Taha Carım (1914-1977) was a Turkish diplomat who held several high-ranking posts in Turkish foreign service and was assassinated by Armenian gunmen from

Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) ( hy, Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան Արդարութեան Մարտիկներ, ՀՑԱՄ) was an Armenian militant organization active from 1975 to 1987. JCAG conducted an interna ...

Biography

Carım was born in 1914 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

in a family of a diplomat. After completion of his studies at

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

, he went on to study in France, eventually graduating from University of Toulouse. During the World War II on 29 October 1941, Carım joined the foreign service and would continue working at the ministry for 36 years until his death. He started his service at the General Secretariat Department and was soon sent to Trade Department where he rose to the rank of 3rd secretary. In 1948, Carım was sent to work at the Turkish Consulate in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In 1952, after receiving the first rank, he was sent to lead the embassy in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and the same year he started representing Turkey in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. In 1957, Carım was appointed Ambassador of Turkey to

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, representing Turkey in Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador and Colombia. In 1960–1961, he served as an Ambassador in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, in 1961–1965 in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and in 1965–1976 in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. In 1971, during the conference on Armenian issues at the Academy of Foreign Affairs, he delivered a speech about centuries old tradition of coexistence of Turkish and Armenian people.

Assassination

On 9 June 1977, Taha Carım was returning to his residence and was ambushed by two Armenian gunmen from front and back. He was shot and killed instantly. The responsibility was claimed by JCAG. In 2016, the papacy finally condemned of the 1977 assassination of Taha Carım in order to resolve a dispute with Turkey about the Armenian genocide. Turkey sends back recalled Vatican ambassador
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References

Biography

Assassination

See also

References