Today is the sixth anniversary of the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara. A solemn ceremony was held in memory of the diplomat by the embassy. At the same time, Türkiye's foreign minister highlighted that the murder in the capital did not spoil the Turkish-Russian friendship.
At the Russian Embassy in Ankara, diplomats, representatives of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and Russian citizens laid wreaths and flowers in front of a bust of Karlov for a commemoration ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Karlov's successor Aleksei Erkhov said it had been six years since they lost a great man. "Every year, we convene here, and every year, it is in bad weather, like nature is worried about his loss too," he lamented.
Erkhov said he believed they were striving to fulfill Karlov's legacy, his "cause," pointing out the efforts to complete the Turkstream natural gas pipeline, the Akkuyu power plant and the record trade volume between countries.
He underlined that Karlov was commemorated in the embassy but across Türkiye, noting that everywhere he went, people spoke fondly spoke of Karlov in the country, not only his love of his duty but also his good heart.
An investigation into the assassination linked it to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), and 13 defendants accused of aiding the murderer, who was killed in a shootout with police, were handed prison sentences. The prison sentences are now being assessed by the country’s top court of appeals.
A trial on the assassination began in 2019 and concluded in March 2021. Şahin Söğüt and two other suspects were sentenced to two counts of aggravated life imprisonment each for an “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order” - a crime attributed to terrorist groups - and homicide. Two other suspects were handed one count of aggravated life imprisonment for aiding the suspects and terrorism. Other suspects were handed down lower prison terms for membership in a terrorist group and aiding FETÖ.
