Galip Balkar

Galip Balkar (1936 – 11 March 1983) was a Turkish diplomat. He was assassinated by two Armenian gunmen in 1983 during his duty as the Turkish ambassador to Yugoslavia.

Galip Balkar
27th Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia
In office
1 November 1981  9 March 1983
PresidentKenan Evren
Preceded byHikmet Özkan
Succeeded byAli Hikmet Alp
Personal details
Born1936
Istanbul, Turkey
Died11 March 1983(1983-03-11) (aged 47)
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
NationalityTurkish
Alma materAnkara University
ProfessionDiplomat
Galip Balkar's grave at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Memorial Cemetery, in Ankara

Life and career

Galip Balkar was born in 1936 in Istanbul. He was graduated from Ankara University, Law School. In 1939, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed the Ambassador of Turkey to Yugoslavia in 1981.

Assassination

On 9 March 1983,[1] two Armenian gunmen opened fire with small firearms[2] at Galip Balkar's auto, which stopped for a red light at a major downtown intersection in Belgrade.[2] Balkar and his chauffeur Necati Kaya were wounded, the condition of the ambassador being critical.[2] The two assailants then attempted to run away from the scene. Two Yugoslav security agents in the area chased them and shots were exchanged.[2] The gunmen wounded one of the agents, Slobodan Brajević. Another shot aimed at Brajević had ricocheted off a wall and slightly wounded an office worker, Zorica Solotić. A student, Željko Milivojević, from Inđija was killed by one of the terrorists with three shots.

Galip Balkar died on 11 March[3] in the neurosurgical clinic in Belgrade where he was in critical condition after emergency surgery for two bullet wounds, one in the head, the other through the right shoulder to the spine.

See also

References

  1. Terrorist Group Profiles. ISBN 1-56806-864-6. August 1989, p. 53
  2. "Gunmen Wound Turkish Envoy to Belgrade". The Washington Post. March 10, 1983.
  3. "Turk Dies in Belgrade; Two Gunmen Held". The New York Times. March 12, 1983.


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