Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was a despicable provocation aimed at spoiling Russia-Turkey ties and derailing Moscow’s attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution to the Syria crisis.
In televised comments, Putin, speaking at a special meeting in the Kremlin, ordered security at Russian embassies around the world to be stepped up and said he wanted to know who had “directed” the gunman’s hand.
He heaped praise on murdered Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday, and made clear that Moscow’s response to his assassination would be robust.
Photo: AP
“A crime has been committed and it was without doubt a provocation aimed at spoiling the normalization of Russo-Turkish relations and spoiling the Syrian peace process, which is being actively pushed by Russia, Turkey, Iran and others,” a stern-faced Putin said.
“There can only be one response — stepping up the fight against terrorism. The bandits will feel this happening,” he added.
Putin, who said he personally knew the slain diplomat, said he had agreed in a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russian investigators would soon fly to Ankara to help with the investigation.
“We must know who directed the killer’s hand,” Putin told Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, SVR foreign intelligence service head Sergei Naryshkin and Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the domestic FSB security service.
Putin ordered security at Turkish diplomatic facilities in Russia to be stepped up and said he wanted guarantees from Turkey about the safety of Russian diplomatic facilities.
“I also ask you to implement the agreed proposals on strengthening security at Russian diplomatic facilities abroad,” Putin told the meeting.
The foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey were due to discuss the future of Syria in Moscow yesterday.
The Interfax news agency cited Leonid Slutsky, a senior Russian lawmaker, as saying on Monday that the talks would go ahead despite the murder.
Karlov was shot by an off-duty police officer who shouted “Don’t forget Aleppo” and “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as he opened fire.
The gunman was later killed by special forces. Three other people were injured.
Turkish police yesterday detained six people over Karlov’s killing, state media said yesterday.
The state-run Anadolu agency said the attacker’s parents, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his roommate in Ankara was also detained.
A senior Turkish security official said there were “very strong signs” the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July.
Gulen has repeatedly denied the coup accusation and has also denied any role in the assassination.
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