All legal measures taken amid attack by Armenian protesters on Turkish, Azerbaijani officials in US: Turkish envoy

By Can Hasasu and Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

WASHINGTON (AA) - Türkiye’s ambassador to Washington on Saturday slammed an attack by Armenian protesters against Turkish and Azerbaijani officials in the US state of California, saying all necessary legal measures have been taken.

"Our attorney has gathered essential information and documented videos. We have also submitted these videos to the police," Hasan Murat Mercan told Anadolu.

Mercan said formal complaints have been filed with US authorities, along with the presentation of visual evidence.

The envoy affirmed Türkiye’s commitment to pursuing the matter until resolution.

The statements came after an Armenian group made verbal and physical attacks Friday on participants, including Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomats and former US diplomats during a conference on Turkish diplomacy in Los Angeles with the sponsorship of Yunus Emre Institute and the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

Mercan said attendees remained unresponsive as protesters vociferated.

"I believe this only fueled their frustration and agitation. Their goal was to provoke a reaction, leading to chaos that would attract media coverage. Nevertheless, we stayed calm," said Mercan.

He said the conference had been announced days in advance.

"Various groups, including ANCA, Armenian activists, extremist factions, and youth organizations, have been attempting for days to obstruct this conference. They relentlessly shared their efforts on social media and even defaced our photos with crosses," he said.

"They exerted maximum pressure on the university administration to cancel the event, but the administration remained resolute in proceeding with the conference," added Mercan.

Following opening speeches, a group of 11 Armenian students began protesting when Mercan began to speak. Another protester verbally abused Azerbaijan's Consul General in Los Angeles, Ramil Gurbanov.

The group's 10-minute protest was put to an end by campus security and police, who removed the group from the venue.

Throughout the conference, protesters gathered outside and tried to disrupt the program by making noise.

After the meeting, Seref Ates, head of the Yunus Emre Institute – which promotes Turkish culture and language abroad – as well as Türkiye’s Los Angeles Religious Services Attaché Ismail Demirezen and Saner Ayar, an executive at television production company O3 Media, were physically and verbally attacked by demonstrators.

The event was also attended by Wilson Center Middle East Program head and former US Ambassador to Türkiye James Jeffrey, Yunus Emre Institute US Director Gokhan Coskun and several others who spoke at the conference.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.