A group of protesters from the Armenian diaspora in the United States stormed an event attended by Turkish, U.S. and Azerbaijani officials in Los Angeles, California on Friday. Suffering from physical and verbal harassment by rioters, guests and organizers sought to calm down the situation. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing the event and highlighted the danger from radical diaspora groups seeking to incite violence.
Police on Friday intervened after a group of Armenians verbally and physically assaulted participants at the conference on Turkish foreign policy in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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, Şeref Ateş, head of the Yunus Emre Institute, which promotes Turkish culture and language abroad as well as Türkiye’s Los Angeles Religious Services Attache 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 U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye James Jeffrey, Yunus Emre Institute U.S. Director Gökhan Coşkun and several others who spoke at the conference.
Armenia is notable for having a large diaspora population with influence outside 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.
Mercan on Saturday slammed the attack, 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 Agency (AA). Mercan said formal complaints have been filed with U.S. authorities, along with the presentation of visual evidence. The envoy affirmed Türkiye’s commitment to pursuing the matter until resolution.
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," Mercan said.
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.
Türkiye on Saturday raised concerns over radical diaspora groups using hate speech to incite violent actions against Türkiye, Azerbaijan, the Armenian government and regional peace. "It is worrying that the hate language of radical diaspora groups, which target our country and Azerbaijan, and more recently the Armenian government and the peace process in the region, has turned into violent acts. We will initiate the necessary legal process against those who physically attack our delegation,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. The incident demonstrated that "distortion of historical events with narrow and local political motives and statements made to please extremist groups encourage radicalization, hate speech and violence,” the statement said.
Türkiye's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik also said on X: "We strongly condemn the aggressive attempts by provocative Armenian groups aimed at a program organized by our Yunus Emre Institute in Los Angeles, where our (Turkish) Ambassador to Washington, Murat Mercan, was also a participant. The aggressive web of lies cannot prevent the truth from being heard."
"The incident that occurred is not only ugly interference with freedom of thought and expression but also shows that these groups have no ability to express themselves other than aggression,” Çelik said.
"In response to all kinds of provocations, we will continue to defend Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability in the Caucasus," he added.
The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it will continue to take all "appropriate steps" to protect the safety and security of diplomats after the incident.
In response to Anadolu Agency's (AA) questions in an email, a State Department spokesperson said the agency was aware of the incident. "We are working with LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) to look into this matter," the spokesperson said but added that they have no further information to provide.
"We reiterate our firm commitment to the security and safety of diplomats and will continue to take all appropriate steps to protect the safety and security of those that conduct diplomacy," the spokesperson added.
Azerbaijan on Saturday condemned the attacks. "We strongly condemn radical Armenian groups' attack on the officials attending the (Friday) conference," said a statement by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry. Attacks on Azerbaijani and Turkish citizens have grown more intense and systematic as a result of Armenia's policy of ethnic hatred and intolerance after the fall 2020 Karabakh conflict and last week’s anti-terrorist operation by Azerbaijan in Karabakh, and these attacks pose a serious threat, the statement added.
"Such attacks by representatives of the radical Armenian diaspora, who cannot accept the failure of Armenia's smear campaign against Azerbaijan and the collapse of the illegal regime in the (Karabakh) region, are crimes that should be punished," the statement also said. "These behaviors of radical Armenian groups, which amount to racial discrimination, hate speech and violence, should be strongly condemned by the international community, and necessary steps should be taken by relevant government institutions to prevent such actions."
