20 December 2016•Update: 20 December 2016
ANTALYA
The governor of Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya has paid a visit to the Russian Consulate on Tuesday to mourn the death of the envoy Andrey Karlov.
Governor Munir Karaloglu offered his condolences to Consul General Alexander Tolstopyatenko and left carnations next to a picture of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.
Andrey Karlov was shot dead at an art exhibition in the capital Ankara on Monday evening.
Karlov was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of an art gallery when an armed assailant opened fire on him.
The Antalya governor "strongly" condemned the assassination of Karlov and said the "heinous attack" was not only perpetrated against Karlov, but against Turkish-Russian ties as well.
"The two leaders' [President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin] statements clearly said the assassination was a provocation and was aimed at harming the two countries' bilateral ties," he added.
"Both Turkey and Russia have the will not to be deceived by this provocation," Erdogan said after the attack.
"The attack on the Russian ambassador was a provocation against the good relations that Turkey and Russia have had over Syria," Putin said.
Consul General Tolstopyatenko said the effects of Karlov's murder were two-fold.
"Because he is my colleague and my friend for 20 years." he explained. "We are in no doubt that this assassination was organized by those who wanted to undermine the friendship between Turkish and Russian people."
The Russian flag was flown at half-mast at the consulate.
Reporting by Ayse Yildiz; Writing by Satuk Bugra Kutlugun;
