Turkish FM may attend German arson attack commemoration

ANKARA

The Turkish foreign minister is expected to attend the commemoration ceremony on May 29 marking the 25th anniversary of the 1993 racist arson attack in Germany’s Solingen city, according to a diplomatic source.

The commemoration -- in which Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected to speak -- will be held at the German President’s Office in the northern city of Dusseldorf, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The foreign minister was invited by Armin Laschet, minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Solingen Municipality is also planning to hold a similar ceremony.

On May 29, 1993, four people aged between 16 and 23 set ablaze the house of a Turkish family in the German city of Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, killing five people and injuring 14 others.

Three assailants were sentenced to 10 years in jail while the other convict was handed 15 years’ imprisonment.

Reporting by Nazli Yuzbasioglu; Writing by Meryem Goktas