Moscow expects Turkey will share information about those who instigated and organized the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the Turkish court’s verdict in the case.
"We expect the Russian and Turkish investigative authorities will go ahead with tight cooperation and Ankara will promptly provide exhaustive information about the results and conclusions of the trial regarding the instigators and organizers of this terror attack," the ministry said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had closely monitored the trial in Ankara. "It is satisfactory that the Turkish law enforcement and judicial systems have at last pronounced their verdict regarding this tragic incident, which left a deep scar on the history of modern Russian-Turkish relations," the Foreign Ministry’s statement runs.
"We appreciate the Turkish judiciary’s resolute condemnation of this terrorist attack, which claimed the life of an outstanding Russian diplomat. The development of bilateral ties in recent years is a reason enough to believe that they have coped with this dramatic, truly unprecedented test," the Foreign Ministry said. As before, Moscow proceeds from the understanding that "a considerable share of responsibility for this crime is borne by certain circles, which on the eve of Karlov’s assassination had been artificially fanning an unfavorable climate in the mass media and social networks over Russia’s actions in Syria."
Earlier on Tuesday, the second Ankara court for especially grave crimes sentenced five defendants in the Karlov case to life imprisonment and eight defendants to prison terms of five to fifteen years and acquitted six. The cases of nine accused, who are at large, including the leader of the terrorist organization FETO Fethullah Gulen, were filed as a separate case.
Karlov was gunned down on December 19, 2016 while speaking at the opening of a photo exhibition in Ankara. The attacker - policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas - was liquidated. The Russian Foreign Ministry interpreted the incident as a terrorist attack. Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over an act of international terrorism. Karlov was posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of Russia.
