World condemns assassination of Russian ambassador Karlov

Condolences have poured in for Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov who was assassinated by a police officer at an art exhibition in Ankara on Dec. 19.

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and the country’s envoy to Ankara, Richard Moore, took to Twitter to denounce the killing, saying that their “thoughts are with his family.”    

“Shocked to hear of despicable murder of #Russia’s Ambassador to #Turkey. My thoughts are with his family. I condemn this cowardly attack,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “appalled by this senseless act of terror and emphasizes that there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians”.    
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the assassination of Karlov.

“I condemn the killing of Russia’s amb to Turkey. My condolences to his family & Russian people. No justification for such a heinous act,” Stoltenberg said in a tweet.

The assassination of the Russian ambassador also drew condemnation from EU officials.

Pedro Agramunt, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemned the assassination in a statement.

“I strongly condemn today’s heinous terrorist attack which targeted the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Turkey. I send my sincerest sympathies to the family of Ambassador Karlov, to his colleagues and friends, as well as to all Russian diplomats,” Agramunt said, expressing solidarity with fight against terrorism.

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland also extended his condolences after the attack.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the assassination of the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Turkey in Ankara today. I present my sincere condolences to the Russian authorities and to the family and colleagues of Ambassador Karlov. All of us at the Council of Europe express our solidarity with our member state Russia,” Jagland said.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the assassination tweeting: “We strongly condemn the assassination of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey in Ankara. Our thoughts are with his family+friends.”
   
France also said it condemned the attack, quoting Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault saying “Nothing can justify violence and terrorism” in a tweet.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz also condemned the assassination.

“Fully condemn assassination of Russian ambassador in #Ankara. A terrible act of violence. Our thoughts are with his family,” Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz tweeted.

In addition, Israel’s embassy in Ankara also said it conveyed its condolences to Karlov’s family and the Russian people.    

“The Embassy of Israel in Turkey is shocked and saddened by the horrible assassination of a colleague, ambassador Andrey Karlov,”

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also conveyed a condolence message to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

“We unconditionally and resolutely condemn this bloody terrorist attack,” Aliyev said.