It has come to the attention of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Canberra that a so-called commemoration has been held by the Armenian YouthFederation in association with the Armenian Relief Society of Australia on Sunday, 11 August 2013 at the “Armenian Cultural Centre” in Sydney.

It is understood that the event was aimed at commemorating the five terrorists who died during their attack on the Turkish Embassy and Residence buildings in Lisbon on 27 July 1983.

One of the perpetrators of this attack was killed while trying to enter the Chancellery building, while the other four were killed by the premature detonation of explosive devices they themselves had planted at the Residence building. During the attack on the Turkish Embassy in Lisbon, the spouse of the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy, Mrs Cahide Mıhçıoğlu, and the Portuguese police officer Manuel Pacheco were killed and many others were injured.

Turkish diplomats in Australia have also been targets of such heinous crime. On 17 December 1980, Consul General Şarık Arıyak and Security Attaché Engin Sever were killed in front of the Residence building in Sydney.

On 23 November 1986, a failed bomb attack was carried out against the Turkish Consulate General in Melbourne.

Drawing attention to the UN Security Council Resolution 1624 (2005) which condemns “the incitement of terrorist acts and repudiating attempts at the justification or glorification (apologie) of terrorist acts that may incite further terrorist acts”, as well as to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism which states that “public provocation to commit a terrorist offence means the distribution, or otherwise making available, of a message to the public, with the intent to incite the commission of a terrorist offence..”, the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Canberra condemns the organization of such an event in the strongest terms and expects all concerned to raise their voice against exaltation of terrorism.