A terrible tragedy for the whole civilized world has taken place yesterday - an envoy was killed as a result of the planned terrorist act. The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot in the back during the opening of the photo exhibition, dedicated to the Russian-Turkish relations. For modern Russia it was the first loss of the Ambassador, and the fact that the criminals killed one of the best representatives of the country abroad makes it even bitter.
Vestnik Kavkaza met with Andrey Karlov three years ago: with the support of the Ambassador in late September 2013, our agency together with the Political Science Center 'North-South' held the international historical conference "The Caucasus war of the 19th century: Realpolitick and 'the war of memory'" in Ankara.
The Ambassador participated in the conference and hosted a reception for the management of Vestnik Kavkaza and 'North-South' in his Ankara residence. Then warm personal relations were established between the agency and the Embassy, which remained all these years.
Andrey Karlov was an outstanding diplomat and a great citizen of his country, who had won the honor and respect of the Republic of Turkey. Even in the darkest days of the Russian-Turkish crisis, he continued to work for the benefit of Russia's national interests in Turkey, doing his utmost to stop the political divide between Moscow and Ankara.
The Ambassador developed relations between the two countries, not only at the diplomatic level: in addition to the representation of Russia's political interests in the country, he worked on the restoration of the Russian-Turkish history.
The staff of Vestnik Kavkaza express their deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Andrey Karlov.
