Demarche to Turkish ambassador over death of Serbian man

(Tanjug)

Demarche to Turkish ambassador over death of Serbian man

BELGRADE -- Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday gave a demarche to Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay over the murder of a Serbian man in Istanbul.

25-year-old Marko Ivković traveled to Turkey to attend the Galatasaray-Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) basketball match.

"We want the truth about this criminal act," Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić told reporters, adding that the Turkish minister of sports will be at the airport in Istanbul on Saturday to escort the coffin with the body of the murdered Serbian fan.

Dačić noted that about a week ago Turkish fans attended a match in Belgrade where strong security measures were in place to ensure their safety.

Serbian Consul General in Istanbul Zoran Marković told Tanjug that the organization in Istanbul was very poor despite his warning to the authorities that it would be a high-risk match.

Ivković was stabbed to death on Friday evening near the sports arena in Istanbul that hosted the Euroleague match between the Serbian team and local Galatasaray.

According to the Serbian consul, Ivković was stabbed in the chest in a fight that broke out outside the Abdi Ipekci Arena.

The resuscitation attempts lasted five hours, but the young man died of severe blood loss despite all efforts of the Turkish medical team, said Marković.

"Urgent investigation"

In a telephone call to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed his condolences on the death of Crvena Zvezda supporter Marko Ivković (25).

The Serbian prime minister "voiced outrage at the despicable crime committed...

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