Statue honoring slain Turkish attache to be erected in Canada

A statue in memory of a Turkish military attaché killed in Canada is set to be erected in the country's capital city, Ottawa, according to a report by the Hurriyet daily on Tuesday. The statue of Col. Atilla Altikat, who was assassinated in 1982 by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) in Ottawa, will be erected on the spot where he was killed, according to the report. However, no information about the statue has been announced up until now due to the negative reactions expected from the Armenian lobby in the city. The statue was cast in Turkey by Turkish sculptors Necmettin Yagci and Azimet Karaman from Gazi University in Ankara. Reha Benderlioglu and Levent Timurhan from the Timoz architecture firm also contributed to the preparation of the statue.  Turkish Airlines (THY) sponsored the statue project.  The statue rendered for Altikat was dedicated to all diplomats who have been killed while on duty. Sculptor Yagci stated, "Before designing the statue, I researched all the sculpture in Canada. We believe that the statue will be regarded as a symbolically important artwork. When presented to a group of experts in Canada, the response was that of great appreciation."