ANDREI KARLOV, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was only moments into his speech when the man standing behind him, disguised as a member of his own security detail, fired the first bullet into his back. Mr Karlov was speaking at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, on December 19th. His assassin, identified as an off-duty Turkish cop, claimed to be retaliating for Russian war crimes in Syria. “We die in Aleppo, you die here,” he shouted. He also repeatedly invoked God, before dying in a shoot-out with other police.
Turkey and Russia appear to be doing their best to limit the fallout from the assassination, which came amid largely peaceful protests in Turkish cities against Russia’s military support for Syria’s murderous regime. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin both referred to the attack as “a provocation” and pledged to strengthen co-operation against terrorism. The Turkish foreign ministry vowed it “would not allow” the attack to damage relations.
Officials also confirmed that a meeting between the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers, scheduled...Continue reading
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