Türkiye on Monday remembered the victims of a 1993 racist arson attack in Germany that left five members of a Turkish family dead.
"We commemorate with respect our five citizens who lost their lives as a result of the arson attack carried out by a group of racists in Solingen, Germany, on May 29, 1993, on the 30th anniversary of the vile attack. We invoke Allah's mercy upon them," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Yasin Ekrem Serim, Türkiye's deputy foreign minister, will attend the commemoration ceremonies, which will be held in Solingen on Monday.
The house of the Turkish immigrant family was set ablaze in 1993 by four far-right extremists, who were later arrested and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.
"On this occasion, we remember with respect all our citizens who lost their lives because of racist and xenophobic attacks as well as recently deceased Ms. Mevlude Genç, who put up an exemplary stance with her calls for restraint, despite losing her family members in the Solingen attack," the statement read.
Türkiye "observes cases of racism, xenophobia and hatred against Islam on the rise with concern although 30 years have passed since the Solingen tragedy," the statement added. "We emphasize once again that we should fight against xenophobia, racism and hatred against Islam together to prevent every manifestation of discrimination and ensure that such tragedies do not occur again."
It also said that Ankara will "decisively maintain its fight at all levels and in every field against this hostile mentality, which poses a threat not only to a certain section of society but also to the whole of humanity."
