ANKARA (AA) – Senior Turkish officials have condemned the fatal shooting of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey on Monday evening.
In a statement Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkish officials had closely followed the process after the attack and relayed information to their Russian counterparts.
Yildirim said every effort was being made to uncover the “dark circles behind the attack and bringing them to justice”.
He said Turkey shared the pain of the Russian nation and conveyed his condolences to them.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman also condemned the attack with a statement issued on Monday.
“I wish that relations between the two countries will not be harmed after the attack which, I think, has been conducted by dark forces,” said Kahraman, extending his condolence to Russian nation and the family of Andrey Karlov.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has also condemned the attack.
“I extend my condolences to Ambassador Andrey Karlov’s family, who we have lost after a malicious assassination, and to the friendly Russian nation,” Kilicdaroglu tweeted.
Turkey’s former President Abdullah Gul said the attack targeted not only the envoy but Turkish-Russian friendship.
“The prime target of this attack was not Ambassador Karlov but Turkish-Russian friendship,” said Gul via his Twitter account.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik, Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek also condemned the attack after visiting the scene of the shooting in Ankara.
