Retired Ambassador recalls 1997: Concrete actions are what matter

Following the incident involving the Somali President's son, it has emerged that the son of a former Yemeni Defense Minister also hit a pedestrian and fled. Retired Ambassador Tunç Üğdül recalled a 1997 accident involving the Georgian Ambassador to Washington and the stance taken by the US.

The Somali President's son had hit and killed motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer in Istanbul, and although a travel ban was imposed, it was later revealed that the suspect had fled the country days earlier. Yesterday, it was revealed that the son of a former Yemeni Defense Minister had hit and seriously injured a 72-year-old woman in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, and was released with a travel ban imposed against him.

While discussions continue regarding what Turkey must do under international law, Retired Ambassador Tunç Üğdül recalled an accident that occurred in the US capital, Washington, in January 1997. Describing the accident involving the Deputy Ambassador of Georgia and the subsequent events, Üğdül wrote:

“The situation of the Somali President's son, who is responsible for the death of courier Göçer after speeding into his motorcycle from behind and who was apparently allowed to flee the country after the accident, reminded me of an accident that occurred in the US capital, Washington, in January 1997. Giorgi Makharadze, who held the title of Deputy Ambassador at the Georgian Embassy in Washington, was speeding while under the influence of alcohol when he rear-ended a group of cars stopped at a red light, causing the death of a 16-year-old Brazilian girl and injuring four others.

I was serving in New York at the time, and the incident became a major topic of discussion in the US. None of the factors—such as the Georgian diplomat's past defection from the Soviets to the West, his diplomatic immunity, his status as Deputy Ambassador, or the very good state of US-Georgia relations at the time—prevented the manifestation of justice. Under US pressure, Georgia lifted its diplomat's immunity, paving the way for the individual to be tried and convicted. At the time, some commentaries claimed that the Georgian diplomat had fled the country immediately after the accident but was later sent back to the US by Georgia.

In the end, the Georgian diplomat was sentenced to 7 years in prison, spending three years in US prisons and two years in detention in Georgia, where he was extradited. You don't become a great state by frequently making big speeches and lecturing others; concrete actions are what matter…”

News Source: 12punto