Ecuador condemns assassination of Russian ambassador in Ankara

The Ecuadorian government today condemned the murder of the Russian ambassador in Ankara by a Turkish policeman who shot him while the diplomat was speaking at the opening of a photo exhibition.

The Government of Ecuador, “appalled by the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, expresses its strong condemnation of this cowardly crime,” said an official statement released by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry.

It also expresses “his heartfelt condolences to the family of Ambassador Karlov, as well as to the Government and people of Russia.”

The ambassador was shot while opening a photographic exhibition and, after wounding him to death, his aggressor shouted in favor of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The attack came on the eve of a meeting that will bring the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow to try to find a solution to the situation in Aleppo in northern Syria and to bring forward positions for future peace negotiations.