Diplomats and officials gathered at the Russian Embassy in Ankara yesterday to honor late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, killed in a terrorist attack on December 19, 2016.
After a minute of silence was observed and the anthems of Russia and Turkey were played, current Russian Ambassador to Ankara Alexei Yerkhov said that Karlov "devoted the last period of his life to strengthening and developing ties with the Turkish Republic."
"It seems to me that the best monument to Andrei Gennadyevich [Karlov] will be practical steps to put his cause into practice. The the best way to pay respects to him will be kilometers of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, reactors that generate power at the Akkuyu NPP, millions of Russian tourists visiting Turkey, improved bilateral trade and reinforced bilateral cooperation in all areas, at all levels, in all directions," TASS cited the Russian envoy said.
A lawmaker from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, Berat Conkar, also came to pay tribute to the late Russian envoy.
"Andrei Karlov was a successful ambassador, he made a serious contribution in the development of relations between our states. He also was an outstanding person, who rightfully deserved respect of the Turkish society. This is our common loss. An investigation into his murder will continue unless all the details of this tragedy become clear to us," the Turkish lawmaker said.
Tuesday marks the first anniversary of the death of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov. He was gunned down on December 19, 2016, while delivering a speech at a photo exhibition.
