UPDATE - Los Angeles police forced to remove Armenian protestors disrupting conference on Türkiye

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM AT WILSON CENTER, JAMES JEFFREY

ANKARA (AA) – Police on Friday intervened after a group of Armenians verbally and physically assaulted participants at a conference on Turkish foreign policy in Los Angeles, California, in the US.

Following the event's opening speeches, a group of 11 Armenian students began protesting when Türkiye’s Ambassador to Washington Hasan Murat Mercan started speaking. Another protester verbally abused Ramil Gurbanov, Azerbaijan's consul general in Los Angeles.

The group's 10-minute protest against Türkiye and Azerbaijan 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 TV production company O3 Media, were physically and verbally attacked by demonstrators outside.

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.

- ‘We must increase communication and understanding’

During his speech at the conference, Mercan said that a glance at a map shows how most conflicts in the world revolve around the Middle East.

Stating that what needs to be done in these challenging times is clear, Mercan said: "Like-minded countries should collaborate to solve problems and develop new ideas. At the same time, we must increase our communication and understanding, otherwise, we cannot make any progress."

Mercan said Türkiye’s foreign policy is based on Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's principle of "Peace at Home, Peace in the World" and stressed that Türkiye has approached every sector of society with respect since its founding.

Armenia is notable for having a large diaspora population with an outsize influence on the landlocked Caucasian country.

The diaspora is notorious for rejecting overtures for peace from neighboring Türkiye and Azerbaijan and opposing Azerbaijan taking control of its long-occupied Karabakh territory, while guaranteeing the safety of Azerbaijan civilians living there.

The head of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, James Jeffrey, said: "Foreign policy is about nations pursuing their own interests. Since 1945 and with precedents dating back to 1917, the world, under the leadership of the United States, has been led by many who have made great contributions."

"It is organized within a global system of collective security with participants and supporters, and one of the most important countries of this global constellation is Türkiye," he added.