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) () was an Armenian militant organization active from 1975 to 1987. JCAG conducted an international campaign of attacks against Turkish representatives and interests, primarily in Europe and Nort ...

Biography

Carım was born in 1914 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

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

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 ...

, he went on to study in France, eventually graduating from

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...

. 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 ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

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

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

and the same year he started representing Turkey in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. In 1957, Carım was appointed Ambassador of Turkey to

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...

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

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, in 1961–1965 in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and in 1965–1976 in

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 ...

. 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.

Death

On 9 June 1977, Taha Carım was returning to his residence. He was ambushed and shot by two Armenian gunmen from front and back, killing him 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

Death

See also

References