İsmail Erez (28 September 1919 – 24 October 1975) was a Turkish diplomat who held several high-ranking posts in the Turkish Foreign Service.

Life and career

İsmail Erez was born on 28 September 1919, in

Bakırköy Bakırköy is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district in the European part of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 29 km2, and its population is 226,685 (2022). Bakırköy lies between the State road D.100 (Turkey), D.100 highway (l ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. His parents were graduates of a law school, Hasan Tahsin Erez and Emine Şahande. His mother died when he was only two years old. He graduated from

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

with honors and proceeded to the School of Political Science in 1939 and graduated with a degree in 1943. İsmail Erez then entered the Foreign Service and worked in several positions within the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

including representative positions in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. After serving as the General Secretary at the Turkish Embassy in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, he was appointed the Ambassador of Turkey to

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

on 19 December 1967 serving as an envoy to both Lebanon and Kuwait. In 1970, he was appointed the Ambassador of Turkey to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and from 1972 until 1974 worked at the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. On 2 November 1974, he was appointed the Ambassador of Turkey to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Assassination

On Friday 24 October 1975, İsmail Erez was returning from a reception and as his vehicle approached the building of the Turkish Embassy in Paris, a group of 3–4 armed

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n militants from

ASALA Asala may refer to: * Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, an Armenian militant organization * Asalah Nasri, Syrian singer * Asala Party, a Salafist political party in Egypt * Al Asalah, a Salafist political party in Bahrain * Asal ...

ambushed the automobile killing him and his driver Talip Yener. The death shocked Turkey as they came just two days after the first assassination of a Turkish ambassador to Austria,

Daniş Tunalıgil Hüseyin Daniş Tunalıgil (1915 – 22 October 1975) was a Turkish diplomat. He was assassinated by JCAG in 1975 during his duty as the Turkish ambassador to Austria. Life and career Tunalıgil was born in Ankara, Turkey in 1915. He graduated f ...

by an Armenian militant organization (both

and JCAG claimed responsibility).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erez, Ismail 1919 births Diplomats from Istanbul Assassinated Turkish diplomats Turkish people murdered abroad People murdered in Paris Galatasaray High School alumni Ambassadors of Turkey to France Ambassadors of Turkey to Italy Ambassadors of Turkey to Lebanon Ambassadors of Turkey to Kuwait Deaths by firearm in France 1970s murders in Paris 1975 murders in France 20th-century Turkish diplomats Terrorist attacks attributed to Armenian militant groups

Life and career

Assassination

See also

References