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Turkish PM says Ankara to continue cooperating with Moscow despite attempts to harm ties

Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead on Monday night while he was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim EPA/STR
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
© EPA/STR

ANKARA, December 20. /TASS/. The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was a provocation but Ankara will not stop developing relations with Moscow, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at the opening ceremony of the Eurasia undersea road tunnel in Istanbul on Tuesday.

"This night, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed. Terrorism has once again shown us its heinous face. This attack was a provocation, without a doubt, aimed at harming Turkish-Russian relations. But whatever they do they can’t spoil our friendship with Russia, we will continue to develop ties."

Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead on Monday night while he was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition dubbed "Russia from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka through the eyes of travelers". According to Turkey’s authorities, the attacker, who was a former police officer, was immediately neutralized by security forces. The attack also left three people wounded. Russia’s foreign ministry called it a terrorist act while the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case labeling Karlov’s assassination an act of international terrorism.

A group of Russian experts form the Investigative Committee, Emergencies Ministry, defense and law enforcement agencies have arrived in Ankara to examine the crime scene and prepare the ambassador’s body to be returned to Russia.