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Turkey’s Demre renames street after assassinated Russian ambassador — agency

A street in the Turkish town of Demre, Antalya, has been renamed for Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov assassinated in Ankara in 2016

ANKARA, March 20. /TASS/. A street in the Turkish town of Demre, Antalya, has been renamed for Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov assassinated in Ankara in 2016, the Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

The decision to rename the street leading to St. Nicholas Church was made by the town council. According to the news agency, Karlov’s bas-relief will be installed on the street on March 22.

Antalya Municipality Head Menderes Turel said that Turkey would never forget its Russian friends and would not allow others to forget. "Andrei Karlov memorial days will take place on March 20-27, the agenda includes an exhibition, a concert, tours of St. Nicholas Church and the ancient town of Andriake. There will also be a tour of the city of Kas," he said.

Karlov’s assassination

Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was gunned down on December 19, 2016, while delivering a speech at a photo exhibition. The attacker, an off-duty police officer named Mevlut Mert Altintas, was immediately killed by security forces. Russia’s Foreign Ministry officially declared the ambassador’s murder a terrorist attack, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case labeling Karlov’s assassination an act of international terrorism. Andrey Karlov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

On December 19, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported citing the official statement of prosecutors that the killer had links to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim preacher wanted by Ankara. Turkey holds Gulen, who has resided in the United States since 1999, and his Gulenist Terror Organisation (FETO) responsible for masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt against President Erdogan’s government.