Taha Carım

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.

Biography Carım was born in 1914 in Geneva in a family of a diplomat. After completion of his studies at Galatasaray High School, he went on to study in France, eventually graduating from University of Toulouse. 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. In 1952, after receiving the first rank, he was sent to lead the embassy in Alexandria and the same year he started representing Turkey in NATO. In 1957, Carım was appointed Ambassador of Turkey to Caracas, representing Turkey in Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador and Colombia. In 1960–1961, he served as an Ambassador in Karachi, in 1961–1965 in Ottawa and in 1965–1976 in Beirut. 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.