BEIJING, January 8 /TASS/. China has resolutely condemned the January 7 terrorist attack on the office of the Charlie Hebdo weekly in Paris, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said.
“We were deeply shocked by this terrorist attack which we resolutely condemn,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement published on the Ministry’s official website.
“We are bewailing the victims, presenting condolences to the families of the dead and expressing sympathy for the injured,” Hong Lei wrote.
He added that China was opposed to any forms of terrorism and voiced support for France’s efforts to preserve security in the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry Human Rights Ombudsman, Konstantin Dolgov, in turn, expressed the hope that the January 7th tragedy in Paris would unite countries in the struggle against terrorism and extremism, including its religious manifestations. This is what Russia has consistently been calling for, Dolgov said.
“We resolutely condemn the barbaric attack by extremists on the office of the Charlie Hebdo weekly in Paris. We are presenting genuine condolences to the families and relatives of the dead,” Dolgov wrote on his page in Twitter.
The Russian diplomat said he hoped that the attack on the Paris-based weekly would impel the international community to protect the freedom of speech without double standards.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has telephoned French President Francois Hollande to present his condolences to the French leader and the French people over a terrorist attack on the office of the Paris-based weekly Charlie Hebdo, the Kremlin press service reported on Thursday.
“The Russian leader condemned the barbaric action and expressed the hope that its perpetrators would be found and would face condign punishment,” the Kremlin press service went on to say.
Putin asked Francois Hollande to convey a feeling of profound compassion and words of support to the families of the dead and wished the earliest recovery to the injured.
The French president thanked Putin for his manifestation of friendly feelings.
Three unknown gunmen attacked the office of the Paris-based Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly paper that had outraged Muslims by printing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday morning. According to the latest reports, 12 people were killed. They include ten journalists and two policemen who guarded the editorial office’s building.
The January 7th attack has become the most high-profile terrorist act in France over the past 50 years. A three-day national mourning has been announced in the country.
French President Francois Hollande is to hold an emergency meeting with the heads of the key security and police agencies at the Elysee Palace on Thursday.