Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian  sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  on Tuesday, urging to take “strong, unambiguous and meaningful action against the Erdogan regime,”Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

Krekorian also introduced a resolution to the LA City Council, urging action from President Donald Trump and Tillerson. 

“City of Los Angeles calls upon President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to make an appropriate and unambiguous response to the events of May 16, including  tangible diplomatic consequences to the Republic of Turkey and its ambassador to the United States; and  identification and prosecution of all of the perpetrators of the criminal assault, and a finding that all foreign nationals determined to be responsible be declared persona non grata and removed from the United States,” reads part of the resolution. 

Furthermore, the Los Angeles canceled the “Los Angeles Turkey Business Forum,” set for May 25, in response to last week’s attack in Washington. 

“This violent assault targeting peaceful, law-abiding Americans was a grotesque affront to American values by the thuggish agents of an autocratic Turkish regime. Such criminal conduct would be entirely intolerable under any circumstances, but especially in a democratic society such as ours.

The fact that it actually involved the Turkish President’s own security personnel clearly demonstrates that the Turkish regime and its diplomatic missions hold American laws and constitutional principles in deep disdain. 

This attack in Washington was shocking to the people of our country, but it should be no surprise. In Turkey, Erdogan has arrested 50,000 people since July 2016. Violence of the kind we witnessed on May 16 is quite commonplace in Turkey as a vehicle to silence dissent.

After such a despicable episode, the United States should have received a profound apology from its “ally,” along with assurances that those responsible would be held accountable,” Krekorian’s letter reads.